Misfortunes
by mistyhollowdrummer
Summary: Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. (Full summary inside. Sorry, not enough room. x3) Rated T, YoitexMiharu (Now complete)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well hello~~~~... How've ya been?... What's up? What's new? I'll tell you what is new. NEW FANFICTION~! Okay, enough of that crap. XD Yes, welcome to my new fanfiction. This is a Yoite and Miharu pairing fanfiction that's AU (Alternate Universe) and rated T (for teens. XD) **

**Warning! Lots of spoilers!**

**You have been warned.**

**P.S. This was made after I finished reading the Hunger Games series. I was curious on how the whole thing would play out and this story kind of popped into my head... So tada~ :3**

**Enjoy! Ja ne!**

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**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 1: Who am I?**

The rain has doused my hair into a mop of soaked tresses that dangle in my face. I brush them away to see better, and just as I do, the long waiting has paid off. Before me, at least ten yards away, is a young buck with its mother. I can feel my mouth water at just the thought of having a solid meal for the next few weeks.

I pull my long bow up to my chest and prep it with an arrow. I pull both of them up to my face and take aim. The mother has looked up to check her surroundings while the baby eats some grass on the ground. In my head, I silently pray for them to go to heaven, to be out of this hell. With one even, quiet and heavy breath, I pull back on the arrow.

My hand moves to let go, but there's the sound of cracking branches, alerting the deer and faun that something is there. They are quickly gone, and my breath is let out in an exasperated sigh. My meal ticket is gone. My stomach is already crying at the loss of a few heavy meals. It's only been two days, but the pain is unbearable.

I have to concentrate though. If I don't hunt now, I'll be starving later. Then I remember; there were those sounds. Anything small wouldn't make those sounds, or startle two deer.

'Another human...' I mouth my thoughts, but no sound comes out. I tuck my arrow away in its seethe on my back and pull the bow around my shoulder. I pull a small hand knife from my hand-made pouch around my hip and prepare myself for a fight. I don't know who, or what is there. I'm at a total disadvantage. My only hope is that they don't know I'm here. That would be my advantage.

I quietly move through the branches of the bushes and short trees, being careful of the thorns from the bushes or any poisonous plants. Any of those could easily kill me. I don't have antibiotics for cuts, and nearly no clean water. I don't even know what I would do if I touched a plant that had poison in it.

As I pace through the bushes, I push some branches out of the way to see what it was that made the sound. It was a small animal, which caught me off guard, but what was more shocking was it was feet in the air, dangling by its neck with wire around it. It was motionless. It was dead.

I may have lost the deer, but at least this meal is here for me. I look around, not seeing anything. No one was there. They must have left after setting up the trap in hopes of coming back with results. Well, they weren't going to have any. My stomach growls loudly, and I realize if I don't get the rabbit, my stomach will set off my position.

I jump from the bushes and dash for the rabbit. Once I get there, I work on the wire that's around its neck. It's tight and I'm forced to work on it with my knife. I hiss, having to work as hard as I can, but nothing works. I don't know what this wire is made of, but it's strong. My stomach growls louder, urging me to try harder.

"I wouldn't do that." A voice calls out over the rain. I gasp, stop what I'm doing, and whip around with my knife in hand. There is no one there. I look around more, wondering if I was just hearing things. I'm so hungry it's possible I'm beginning to become delusional.

"If you move around like that, you're going to lose a leg." There's the voice again. I swear it's distorted, because what I'm hearing doesn't sound on the ground. I look up, and sitting on a tree branch is a lanky, skinny boy. On his head is a tan hat, shielding his face from the rain. On his body is a long, black trench coat. His skin is pale and his eyes are dark blue, darker from the shadow of his hat.

I find myself wondering if he's threatening me. He looks pathetically harmless, in fact, he looks just as sick as someone like me who hasn't eaten in days, but he's telling me not to move. If I move, I'll lose a limb. I can easily shoot him down with an arrow, but between the time I pull out my bow and arrow and aim, what could he do to me?

Now I'm just holding still. I glare at him defiantly, but he's looking at me without any emotion on his face. Somehow, it's creepy.

"Well?" I say. He tilts his head and covers an ear with his hand. I'm wondering if he's mocking me, but then I realize he didn't hear me. Somehow irritated to no end, I cover my mouth and shout. "Get down here!"

He hears me that time.

"Okay." He says. "Just don't move. If you move, you're going to lose a leg." Again with that threat. In the back of my head, I'm just itching for the moment he comes down to the ground so I can beat the crap out of him.

He jumps off of the branch and grabs it before he can fall. He looks down at the ground for a moment, and I can tell he's thinking about the decision to jump or lower himself down. It's not a far drop, but anyone who hasn't eaten could easily be weak.

He drops down and grunts when he lands. I see him stagger, and it's verified that he's weak. He pushes himself up by his knees and stands. I see now how tall he really is. He must be six foot two at least.

When he begins to move forward, I can feel an icy chill go up my back.

_I don't want to die..._

_He's going to kill me..._

_I don't want to die..._

These voices in the back of my head have me frozen. He slowly walks over, the thin twigs crunching under him. He's slow, and as he gets closer, I feel my breath freezing. I'm gripping my knife tightly, but I can't seem to raise it in defense.

And then he's standing in front of me. His staring me down. I realize how defenseless I am. He has no weapons on him. Nothing. He's incredibly thin. And yet I find myself at such a disadvantage.

Slowly, his arm leaves his side. It goes past my arm and wraps around my waist. I let out a faint gasp as I'm suddenly pulled to his drenched body. His jacket, what I originally thought was a mix of plastic and fabric so nothing would soak threw, is completely fabric. He shaking as hard as I am, but I'm not cold like him. I'm scared.

Just as I am about to push away, his foot goes past my legs and kicks something behind us. I look over my shoulder to see a cleverly hidden hunting trap.

Now I understood what he meant. Had I taken one step back like he said, I literally would have lost my leg. The trap would have taken my leg clean off. Or worse, it would have just left me trapped, and I'd be forced to take my own leg off.

I gulp as he releases me. I look up just as his eyes look at mine. For a moment, I swear there's a smirk on his lips, but my eyes are trained on his so I can't tell.

"There are traps set up all around this area." He says. He moves to the rabbit, and I watch him pull a small pocket knife from his pocket. Well, he was armed. "Do you hunt here often?" I watch as the small knife, seemingly tiny and useless, cuts through the wire in one swift motion. He takes the little rabbit in his arms and cradles it like a baby.

"U-Um..." My voice is scratchy. I haven't talked to another human in... A long time. I don't know what day this is. It could be mid-week or weekend. In fact, now that I think about it... I have no idea what year we're even in.

He hasn't looked up from the rabbit yet. His fingers are rubbing its forehead and then move down to its tiny, fuzzy chest. He waits unnaturally still and then a smile is on his lips.

"Why do that?" I ask. I'm surprised I still remember basic words. He looks up at me, his eyes covered by the rim of his hat and, now that I can get a better look at him, his black bangs sticking out from under it.

"I was hoping his death was quick. There's no point for him to suffer because he wants to live." The boy says with poeticism in his tone.

So he's just another guy trying to survive. It's a scary relief I feel, knowing that there are others who still have some hope and kindness in the world.

"You should be careful around here. There are a lot of traps. With traps come humans." He turns on his heels, but he looks over his shoulder at me. I'm waiting for something more, but then I realize he's waiting for a response from me.

"Oh, uh... Okay..." Well I did say it has been a while since I talked to someone.

"Don't stay here. The Trackers will be here in an hour." He says and turns away. It's now that he mentions it that I remember them. The Trackers. Trackers, back from twelve years ago, were special ninja hired, trained, raised, or bred to kill. That was all they knew how to do. They had no emotions. Killing was an easy thing for them.

After the sealing of the Shinrabansou for the second time, the Nabari No Ou hired them as a sort of interpreter, but they ended up being the violent sort. They took down anyone who stood in their or the Nabari No Ou's way. Anyone who defied him or went against his wishes, the Trackers would take them down before they could breathe their last breath.

I guess I had been hidden away for so long I assumed they had just vanished. If this boy knew about them, we're they that close? Had he seen them in person? I had never seen one in person before. I had only ever heard about them.

"They're here?" I ask. I trot up to the boy, noticing he is still cradling the little rabbit.

"Yes." He didn't say anymore. I stopped, watching as he got further away from me. Somehow, instead of thinking about him, I was thinking about the food that just got away. Now I didn't have anything to eat. Another night with an empty stomach I guess.

The boy turns around suddenly and looks at me, his face distorted in confusion.

"Was that your stomach?" He asks. I look down, and this time, I hear my stomach let out a low and heavy growl. I guess this is punishment for not being smart.

"Uh..." Again I can't speak. The boy sighs and walks back over to me.

"In my pocket." He says. "Take it." I look at him, then to the pocket he's motioning to. He's too preoccupied holding the corpse to do it for me. I hesitantly reach in his coat pocket, fishing around until my fingers brushed against something foreign. I pull it out and inspect the small, plastic bag now in my hands.

It's been way to long since I've seen real plastic, and forgetting there's something in it, I take a moment to relish the feel of it under my dirty fingers.

Then I see the material inside it. I look to see the big bits of brown mushrooms hidden away behind the plastic.

"No way! Are these real?" I ask, completely astonished. Seeing them, I can tell they are not normally grown around these, or any, parts of the woods. They're made in the city garden domes. They're highly expensive, even for the people who live in the cities. Of course, they can afford it.

"Yeah." He says. "I found them." I hardly believe he found them, but he's offering them to me, and I'm not about to argue with him.

"And... I can have them?" I ask. He nods his head.

"Uh huh. I was going to make a rather big dinner tonight, but I can risk it. You need the food." He explains.

I nearly drool. This isn't the same amount I had planned in the beginning, but the hunger pains in my stomach will surely go away. These mushrooms from the garden domes are genetically altered. They have more flavors in them, and are much bigger than the original. Just one will give me sweet dreams for many nights.

"And I can just have them?" I ask again, looking up with pleading and hopeful eyes. I had never felt so happy from someone's kindness before. At least, I haven't felt this way in a very long time.

"Yes, I already said you could." He looks to the rabbit, then back to me. "I need to go." He says.

"Oh..." Somehow, his words are bringing down my recent hope.

"Be careful on your way back to wherever you're going. Don't get caught in any traps." He tells me. I nod my head.

"Okay." He turns away again and leaves. When he's hidden away in trees, I open the plastic quickly and pull out a mushroom. My mouth is already watering. I don't care that it is dirty from the ground. I'm so hungry that it takes all my energy and restraint to not eat all of it plus what's in the bag. I put the mushroom to my lips and take a moment to simply enjoy the texture and sensation. Then, I eat it.

My eyes water with happiness, but also sadness. There were only three, and now that I ate one, there were two. I'm happy and sad. I wipe my eyes against my wet sweater and sniffle. Such kindness from someone who I had never seen before.

Maybe there is still some hope for this messed up world.

"Hey!" I hear his voice again. I look around, but when I don't see him, I look up. I see him standing on the branch he was on previously. His hand was against the trunk, holding him up. The rabbit was still in one arm.

"Yes?" I ask.

"You're doing it again." He says. I give him a confused look, not understanding him. Then I look down, and once again, the trap is only inches from my foot. How did I do that? I didn't even move!

"Uh... Thanks." I mumble. I move away from the trap.

"Are you going to be okay on your own?" He asks me, tilting his head.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" I retort.

"Well if you keep moving forward, you'll be my next meal." He says. I stop as look down. I didn't even see the wire near my foot. There are so many traps I have to agree with him. How the hell am I not dead yet?

"I'll be fine." I say. I get now why he's staying in the trees. There aren't any traps up there. Up there he's as safe as a bird.

"You sure?" He asks. I can see him smiling from where I stand. I nod my head as I stuff the plastic bag in my pocket. I need to hide it from sight before I eat anymore. I'm feeling better though. The pain is subsiding. These mushrooms really are good for a starving person.

"Yes."

"Alright..." He frowns. "Goodbye, I guess." He says.

"Goodbye." I know I won't be seeing him again. I say it as kindly as I can, even though I'm not used to it. I will miss him... I think.

"What's your name?" He asks. I shake my head, surprised by the sudden question.

"Huh?"

"Name." He speaks out each syllable. "What is your name?"

"Oh." I look at the ground and think about it. It had been so long since I had the chance to say or hear my own name. Did I even remember it? Did I even know it?

Who am I?

"You know who you are, don't you?" He asks me. I look up to see him sitting on the tree again, his legs dangling and swinging back and forth.

"Yes!" I feel my face flush in embarrassment and agitation. It's then that my name comes back to my mind.

"So what is it?" He asks. I swear he's making fun of me.

"My name is Rokujo Miharu!" I shout at him. I stomp my foot and I see him frown, his head tilting.

"Well Rokujo Miharu. You just got stuck in my trap." I look down just as the wire of his snare tightens around my legs. It yanks quickly and pulls me down to the ground. I smack my head against the ground and grunt as I'm lifted in the air. I dangle for a moment in the air, but it ends quickly when the snare, only made for small animals that won't struggle when their neck snaps, gives way and I fall to the ground.

I hit the ground again, and everything goes blank.

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**A/N: For this fanfiction, if you want releases on chapters, I need fast reviews. So as of right now, you get one chapter a week. The more reviews I get, the faster I upload. The series is already done on my computer, so I can upload pretty fast. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, getting some reviews~ Remember the more reviews I get, the faster it comes out! . THank you though for the reviews I've gotten so far. ^^ I'm loving them! :D**

**Song for the day:**

** watch?v=g80QJduTVyI&list=PL4BEE49D01523EB11&index=97**

**Enjoy your day! :D**

**-Misty**

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Summary:

Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.

Chapter 2: A Place to Call Home

There are only a few times I can remember waking up from my deep sleep. They were dull moments and all together not quite right when I tried to recall them. I remember getting caught in the mysterious boys' trap and hitting my head, then the rest is fuzzy.

The first time was when I woke up only, what must have been, minutes after my ludicrous "accident." I felt heavy, like there was weight on my chest and extra gravity all around me. I groaned and looked in the sky to see an array of blurred colors surrounding me, and it was all moving. Everything was moving. Slowly yes, but my body was still and everything was moving around me.

Each time my body moved, the colors would blur together more. The tree branches and leaves dangling from them that guarded my face from the falling rain conjugated together in beautiful colors. The dark sky only miles behind them was misty, adding to the effect that the sky was slowly falling down around me.

Between the colors being blurred by my poor vision, I could smell the sweet scents of flowers. I could smell red roses and carnations. I could smell their scents mixed together with the scent of freshly fallen rain. Hidden underneath all of that, I could smell the thick scent of a sweat pea flowers.

Was this my goodbye?

I blacked out. The second time I woke up, I was no longer in the rain. Where I was, was dark, but there was still some light in some places. I wasn't dead, because I could still feel the cold creeping along my body. This helped me know the truth. That, and when my eyes opened groggily, I could see blue. The color belonged to the boy I had met before.

He was staring down at me, his eye brows furrowed with concern. He was worried. Worried for me. No. I must have seen it wrong, because being worried for someone he just met didn't seem right.

After that, I was out again. The next and final time I woke up it was dark, but darker. The spots where lights were scattered were gone. There was light dancing on the ceiling like the light reflection of water on the ocean floor. I blinked a few times, but when I tried to turn my head slowly, it fell to one side, rendering me nauseous and drained of energy quickly. When this sick feeling passed, I saw a warm, comforting fire pit a few feet away from me. I went to lift my head, but the nausea took over once again.

If I thought my body felt heavy before, now I felt like an extra hundred pounds was added on to me. My head was maybe ninety-eight percent of the weight.

I let out a low groan as I tried to move my head again, but failed. My whole body hurt. It was achy and sore like I had the flu and I had one of the worst headaches in the history of my life.

To add to it, my body was freezing. Despite the tepid heat of the fire and flames, my body didn't want to be endothermic today. I had been drenched in rain for half a day, so it didn't surprise me that this was happening.

For now, all I could do was stare at the ceiling. This is where I noticed that the ceiling wasn't a bunch of leaves bundled together. It wasn't the hard, cold and damp surface of sheet rock on the inside of a cave. It was wood strew together with heavy rope and tightened so the outside elements couldn't get in.

Well, that explained why I wasn't being covered in rain. I could still hear the rain, as clear as day in fact. I breathed in deeply and prepared myself for the impact of my stomach turning as I rolled onto my side quickly to see where I was. As I did, I rolled back over in a fit of vomiting.

The only food in my stomach was the previous mushroom the boy gave me and stomach acid, and that's all that came up. I hurled by my side until my ribs felt like they were going to break. It hurt so bad my eyes stung with hot tears that dripped past my tightly closed eyes and onto the floor.

By this point, I was right side up again. No sense in choking on my own vomit.

When it subsided, I leaned my head down against my arm and breathed long, quiet breathes. My stomach was calm now, and moving an inch didn't cause my eyes to cross. I looked up, and found myself puzzled.

It was half of a hut. It looked like an old, run down shed that collapsed on one side. The other half was well intact, complete with a few built in shelves and a creaking door. I didn't get the door part, but it was there. I looked around a little more to see some tattered and old cloths covering where the windows would be. There were smaller bits of cloth on the big gap in the wall; obviously someone had tried to finish it themselves, but it wasn't enough.

That's why I could hear the rain so well. Inspecting my surroundings a little more, I see that I am under an old but heavy blanket. It is warm, but my body is still cold.

Another thing I find is that I'm not in the clothing I was in to begin with. These clothes are old too, and four sizes bigger than me, but they're dry. It's better than my wet clothes; that'll keep me from getting sick. Or sicker.

I cough, and it sounds congested and rough. I shudder a little, cuddle under the blanket, and move closer to the fire for warmth. When I do, I instantly smell something I didn't before.

I smell something delicious cooking. I look over to the fire and see pieces of meat with skewed sticks through them cooking over the fire. Totally forgetting that I'm suffering from nausea, I sit up from under my blanket and eye the food. I reach out for it, but realize that this could be a trap.

Another trap. Yeah, just what I need. My stomach is growling so loud though it's starting to make my heart vibrate. I whine, wanting nothing more than to chomp down the food, but I resist. My stomach doesn't like this rebellion.

"You can have some." I jump to the voice that scared me before. I turn to see the boy from earlier sitting in a completed corner of the wall. He's sitting up straight with his legs pulled up to his chest and his arms draped over his knees.

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I wonder how long he was watching me, but then I see him yawn and stretch his muscles. He must have been sleeping while I was.

"There's enough for both of us. I made some for you too. Go ahead." He says. Without even bothering to question, or hesitate, I reach out for the first stick of meat and bite down hard on the deeply cooked food.

My mouth waters and I don't bother to clean my chin when drool seeps past my lips. I don't know what this meat is, but it's so good. It's tender and dripping with flavor. I'm done within a minute and stop. I don't want to eat all of his food, even though he said I could. For all I know, he could have poisoned it.

And yet I still ate it.

Also, I couldn't risk having to owe something to someone. He could be a con artist. He could be someone who would sell me in order to earn back what I took.

Yeah, just another thing on my list of doubts.

"How is it?" He asks me.

"Good." I say through an exasperated breath. I didn't realize how hungry I was until the food settled in my stomach. It was extremely filling though.

He gets up and walks over to the fire where I am sitting. He sits himself down next to me, a little too close for my comfort. I scoot away, but I didn't want to be rude, so I only moved a few inches.

"Where am I?" I ask. Wow, my voice sounds really scratchy.

"This is... My place." I hear him pause and can tell he's trying to pick words.

"... It's kind of cool." I say. It's true, it's not like apartment blocks in the big cities, but this is, by far, better than where I'm staying, which is a cave. It's cool too. It's got a very ancient feel to it, like it's the remains of a long story in parts of history.

"It's... A place to call home..." He murmurs. I blink a few times, sinking in his words. The last time I heard the word "home" was when my parents were still alive. I was only a baby.

I hear him sigh and look over at him. He's still wearing the outfit he was wearing earlier, except the jacket was different. It's around the same jacket; it's black and big, but it's not the same style of his other jacket. However, I can see his turtleneck peeking out from under his jacket and it is wet. His black jeans are the same thing. I look down at the clothes I'm wearing and realize he must have sacrificed his own clothing to keep me warm.

Why do that for someone like me? And for someone he's never met?

"I'm sorry they're big. I thought you wouldn't like it if I left you naked." He mumbles.

"... Why did you dress me?" I ask.

"If I had left you in your wet clothes, you would have gotten sick. Should I not have done it?" He looks at me and I can see his blue eyes from under the rim of his tan hat silently questioning me.

"Um... N-No... I guess it's okay." I murmur with flushed cheeks.

"I didn't look." He adds. I feel myself blush even more at the way he says it.

"No, it's fine." I say. He looks away finally and reaches for one of the sticks of food. He holds it out for me, leaving me confused, but very weak in resisting it.

"Here; you can have more." He keeps looking directly in my eyes, and I can't look away. He has a way of being very hypnotizing, like I'm under his spell.

Is he even aware he's doing it?

Not wanting to be rude, (and because I'm still **really** hungry) I grab the stick from his hand and eat. This time I eat slowly, so I can enjoy it, but also so I don't give myself stomach pains.

The food is so good I have to keep myself collected. I want to cry it's so good. I don't think I've had such a good meal before. Not until now at least.

"What is this?" I ask. I want to know what it is so I can catch it and have meals like this more often.

"It's the rabbit I caught a few hours ago." He mumbles. I look up with surprise, my eyes wide. I have had rabbit before, but none of it has ever tasted this good before.

"No it's not." I argue. He isn't looking at me. He's poking the fire with a loose stick.

"Yes it is." He says. I look at the meat and inspect it. He is right. I can see the muscle that belongs to a rabbit.

"Why does it taste so good?" I ask.

"I told you earlier. I was going to use the mushrooms I found to make a bigger meal. While you were out, I cooked them in with the rabbit." He explains. Now I can see why it tastes so good. That's what he wanted them for.

So he would have passed up this great meal to keep me fed?

"I don't understand." I say, and take a big bite from the meat.

"Why? The mushrooms came from the garden domes." He says.

"Not that." I say. "Why are you helping me?" I ask.

"Why not?" He asks. This time, even while he's looking away, I can see a small smile on his thin lips.

"Why not sell me while I was sleeping? I would have made money for you had you sold me to someone in the city. Or you could of killed me an eaten-" He stops me there by raising a hand. Now he looks angry.

"I wouldn't do that." He says. I can hear the hurt in his voice. I guess I can't blame him. I just accused him of being like people from the large cities that rule Japan. That must have hurt him, or pissed him off at least.

"Sorry... I'm sorry..." I say. I put the food down in my lap, feeling overly guilty. He _was_ just trying to be nice.

"It's fine." He says. "I can see a lot of reasons not to trust me." He turns his body and looks at me, and I see the serious look on his face that he's giving me. "But I'm not like them."

I can feel not only tension, but awkwardness. I couldn't be more embarrassed, but I can tell he is too. With the way he is talking, he makes it seem like he has poor social skills, just like me. And his face is a little red.

"I get it." I say. He looks away and goes back to poking the fire. A few seconds tick by, and the tension is still there. With this quiet time to us, I peak from the corner of my eyes to look at him again.

He is thin, much thinner than I first thought. Hunched over like this, I can see his spine poking from under his jacket and sweater. In the light of the fire, I can see the pale complexion he has. With the light flickering on his face though, he looks a bit like a doll. He isn't moving much when he breathes, and looks even more so. I can see the reflection of the fire glowing in his eyes, and I can see his eyes on the remaining skewered food.

Is he hungry? He wouldn't be stupid enough to have me eat all of the food, would he?

... Yeah, he probably would.

I take another stick in my hand and hold it out for him. The mushrooms and rabbit have calmed my stomach down substantially. I'm feeling better, so it's okay if he has some.

"Here," I say. "Have some." I offer a smile.

"No, it's fine. I'm okay." He says. I pout in irritation and push the stick of meat closer to him.

"Eat it already. I can tell you're hungry, so just eat it." I say in a heavy tone. He looks surprised by my forceful attitude and tries again to ignore it, but when I jab him against his arm with the end of the hot stick, he gives in. When he takes it, I smile.

I'm already feeling better. My body, however, is still achy and my muscles are still sore. I feel congested too, and even though I'm eating, it's not getting rid of, what I know is, an on-coming cold.

I'm going to hide it for now. This boy is doing so much to make sure I'm okay when it's obvious he's not himself. I should try to start repaying my debt to him now.

When he takes a bite out of the food, I can see the physical happiness in his eyes. I can tell he's trying hard not to be a glutton and swallow it whole. I can see his muscles shaking, fighting with him, and fighting against him. He's trying so hard, but it only lasts seconds.

I find myself with my mouth to the ground when he swallows the boneless meat in one go.

Gee, and I thought I was hungry. But it's okay. We're both craving nutrition, so for now I know we can have poor table manners until we have our stomachs full.

"How was it?" I ask, tilting my head. "It's good, isn't it?" He nods his head vigorously, and I see his eyes glaring at the last two pieces left over. He's trying to decide if he should eat more or not.

I grab the remaining two and give one to him. While he eats, I go about taking the final piece and breaking it into equal parts. He's watching me with those defined eyes of his as I go about my work. He finishes eating before I even finish with my task, but once I do, I hand him half of the meat I've torn.

"There. Now we can eat an even amount." I see him smile when I hand him the food, and somehow, this makes me feel happy. I take small bites and he swallows his whole again. I try to eat faster so it doesn't seem like I'm teasing him, but I don't have the ability to eat like he does.

When I'm done, I toss the sticks in the fire and watch them burn. My stomach is full now. It's a first, and somehow disturbing, but I'll appreciate it for now.

If I get sick, at least I won't lose stomach acid again.

"So," I begin. The boy looks over to me and rests his head down on his knees. "I never did get your name." I say. He turns his head back to flames.

"It's Yoite," His voice is slightly muffled by his jacket.

"Yoite," I repeat.

"Yes."

"I like your name." I say. He looks at me without moving his eyes, and for a second I think I can see a hint of red in his cheeks. "Well, I haven't been around another person in a while. I guess other human names are a little foreign." I explain my words sheepishly.

"Well, I guess I can see that." Yoite says. "I don't hear names often either." I nod my head.

Another minute of silence passes. Instead of the awkward feeling I felt before, the silence is now comforting and reassuring. I feel secure, somehow. I don't think I've felt this safe before.

This is fleeting. Without warning, I'm hit with another wave of nausea, and also a fit of coughing.

I'm sick, and unless this boy can magically produce medicine for the flu, I'm in serious trouble.

"A-Are you alright?" He leans over me as I fall over in my fit of coughing. He puts his hand on my back and gently rubs little circles, but it's not working. The coughing stops only minutes later on its own.

I'm heaving deep breaths. I touch my throat, feeling my cold finger tips soothing to the heat overpowering it.

My throat is really sore now. Sore and raw. I'm not an expert on medicine, and I have no idea about any herbal remedies I can make with the elements around us. I either wade out my illness...

Or die.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow~ I'm so happy for the reviews~ I decided for the kind gesture you gave me I'd upload a chapter early. ^^ But don't get used to this. I said once a week... Unless you review faster. :3 But thank you for the reviews. I'm seriously happy you guys like more story so far because I worked so hard on it. Just to reiterate I do have it done. That's why I can upload faster. So remember, more views, more chapters. :3 But again thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! :D I do appreciate it. ^_^ Have a wonderful day!

じゃね みんあ！

(See you later everyone!)

-Misty

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Summary:

Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.

Chapter 3: Illness

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I don't remember it, but sometime after that, I fell asleep. When I woke, it was early morning. The rain was a light drizzle, but the sun was peaking behind the clearing clouds. The birds were beginning to sing their morning songs of comfort and stretched their wings to wake up their muscles. They were preparing to go out and hunt for their and their families lives.

I, on the other hand, wasn't going anywhere anytime soon in my condition.

My nose was congested and I couldn't breathe unless I breathed through my mouth. My eyes were so heavy that I couldn't open them. When I did, the sun peeking through the cloths dangling from the ceiling burned my sensitive eyes and I would shut them again with a heavy groan.

My head feels even heavier than yesterday. This wasn't just a concussion (something I secretly hoped for) or a mere cold. This was a flu coming on, mixed with serious allergies and probably something to do with my faulty footing.

I was shaking. I was so cold. I could feel the heavy blanket on me, but I was still cold. When I found a warm spot under the blanket, heated by my body heat, I would relish in the moment. If I moved just the slightest, the warmth would be gone and, if my eyes weren't swollen shut, I would cry.

This is exactly what I hoped not to get. I don't have any medicine. Even if I did, I wouldn't know what to do with it. If I can't push through this, I am surely going to die.

I roll a little and groan in pain. My voice is scratchy because of my raw throat. I don't think I can talk at all. I hope I can communicate somehow.

As I scoot around under the blanket for another spot of warmth, I realize my head is propped against something. I try to open my eyes, but I can't. This worries me. Will the last thing I saw be the rain drenching the forest? Or the mysterious boy named Yoite?

My hand sneaks out of the blanket, quickly retracting back under when the cold penetrated my skin. I forced it back out to feel around. My sense of touch is very dull, so now I can't tell if what I'm touching is the blanket or something else.

"... Miharu?" I hear Yoite's voice whisper my name close to me. I whimper, trying my best to respond. "Are you awake?" I nod my head since it's a yes or no question.

I feel Yoite's fingers pressing against my temple. His fingers are bare now (previously covered by his gloves). His fingers, though cold, are soothing, and strangely warm. Was my body temperature so cold that even he was warm?

His fingers are sliding back and forth against my cheek, coaxing my eyes open. Yoite's body is blocking the light now, so my eyes can open with only a little pain. I only catch a glimpse of his worried expression before my eyes swell shut again. His hand lays flat on my neck, and it's very comforting.

"Your fever has gotten worse." He says, still in a whisper. I whimper again. My hand has clutched on to what I believe is his jacket. I need something to hold on to. If I let go, I may fall asleep. If I fall asleep, will I ever wake up again?

"Don't fall asleep..." He says, as if reading my mind. I open my mouth. I need to speak. It'll keep me awake.

"I..." I can't say much. "... I'm tired." Even I can tell I sound like hell.

"I know, but you've been asleep for too long." He says. Too long? I couldn't have been asleep for that long.

"H-How long?" I ask.

"A few days." Yoite answers. I open my eyes and look up at him. I can see he is even more worried than my eyes previously perceived.

"Days..." I mumble. His fingers pressed on my forehead and I lower my gaze to my hand. I was right. I'm holding onto the end of his jacket. My head is resting in his lap. His boney legs provide a lot of comfort actually. Though he's skinny, he's a good pillow.

I close my eyes, blocking out the sun. I can tell now it's early morning. The cold chill is present, causing me to shiver even more.

"Please don't fall asleep." He murmurs. I must have heard him wrong. He actually sounds desperate. "Talk to me." He says. "It'll keep you awake."

I nod my head, showing that I understand. But what am I supposed to say?

"Hey... How old are you, Miharu?" Yoite asks. I shake my head. I don't want to answer that. "Come on. You have to keep talking." He urges on.

"I... Don't remember..." I swallow down on my dry throat. I am really thirsty.

"You can't?" He asks. I nod my head. His hand presses down on my cheek and he leans forward to see my face better. "Well what age do you remember?"

I have to think about that. Since the death of my family, I have tried hard to erase those memories of the past. I have to think really hard about it, but my mind is muddled. I'm so sick that thinking hard hurts my head.

"I..." I breathe. "I was... Three?" I can't remember correctly, and Yoite can hear it in my voice that I'm questioning it myself.

It's what I remember though, because that year I remember my father, whose face escapes me, getting me a bike and then my mother arguing that I was too young for one. He was so excited to see me getting older though. I remember him telling me that the harder I work, the more rewarding my results will be. I was three though. That went in one ear and out the other.

"You were young." Yoite says.

"I stopped counting." I mumble.

"Do you remember what year you were three?" Yoite asks. That I do remember... I think.

"I guess..." Maybe not. The number is escaping my mind swiftly. "Two-thousand... Something..." My voice trails off.

"You can't be any more than sixteen." Yoite says.

I'm still young. Have I been on my own for that long?

"... What about you?" I ask. I open my eyes to look at Yoite. "How... O-Old are you?"

"Me?" He points to himself and I nod my head. "Uh, I'm eighteen." He says. He's young too. I didn't think he'd be a few years away from me. That is if I were sixteen. I still wasn't sure.

After he finishes, I feel like he doesn't want to talk more, almost like he doesn't want to talk about himself. Now that it's quiet, I close my eyes and relax. I'm still really tired. I open my eyes to try and stay awake, but when I look to Yoite to say something, I see him looking away with worry.

"Yoite...?" I mumble. He looks back at me and smiles weekly.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

He was looking at something with worry. His expression was unsettling. Something is wrong.

"What were you looking at?" I ask. His eyes flicker over to my lower half and then back to me. There is a split second where he has that look on his face again.

"Nothing. I-I think I heard something outside." He says.

What a bad liar he is.

With weak muscles I push myself up. I'm pretending to look outside, like I actually believe what he's saying, when reality I'm looking for what he was looking at.

Now I see why I couldn't find full warmth. My legs aren't covered by the blanket. I feel chills go up my back from the cold and I move to cover my legs. When I do, Yoite's hand grabs my wrist and stops me.

I look up at him and pull my hand, but he doesn't let go. His eyes are downcast. He can't look at my face.

"Let go. I'm cold." I say and pull, but he doesn't let go. "Let go!"

Yoite flinches at my harsh tone and finally lets go. I huff with irritation and grab at the blanket. When I pull it back to toss it over my legs, I see what he was staring at.

Along my leg, under my skin, is a dark red streak that goes up to my thigh. My ankle is swollen and red. I'm staring at it in disbelief.

"Sepsis..." I whisper. I feel Yoite's hand on my back, and now I get what he was trying to do. He was trying to keep me from knowing the truth.

This must have come from the wire when it was around my ankle. It wasn't clean, that was obvious. Who knows how many animals had been its victim before me?

I let out a small, weak and bitter laugh.

"So... This is it..." I mumble. Yoite's hand tightens on my back.

"I-It doesn't have to be..." He mumbles. "Maybe if we wait it out-" I stop him with a choked laugh.

"You can't wait out Sepsis." I say. "The only way for me to get rid of it is..." I can't say it. I can't say what I'm really thinking. "I would need medicine."

"Maybe I can find some medicine." Yoite suggests.

"What medicine?" I bark. "Unless you're hiding a hospital somewhere, this isn't going to go away!" My voice has risen to a loud shout. Yoite has curled away in fright.

"I-I'm not but-"

"Stop!" I cover my ears. I don't want to hear it. I can't hear it. The tears a pooling at my eye lids and I'm trying so hard not to cry.

I wish now it had been something like a cold or the flu. Hell, I would even take pneumonia to this hell I'm about to experience.

I tried so hard to survive. Though I've thought of the many ways I could possibly die, Sepsis has never crossed my mind, not even once. I had always been careful.

"Miharu..." I waver at hearing his voice. I can't look at him. All of this is making me sick to my stomach. I'm so nauseous I want to puke.

"I don't want to die like this." I hear my own voice cracking, and so does Yoite. His hand pulls me by the waist and he pulls me against his body.

"I'm sorry..." He's squeezing me so tight that I can't breathe, but somehow that's okay.

At least I won't die alone. That is probably one of my biggest fears and regrets.

I want to tell him it's not his fault. It may have been his trap, but it was my own stupidity that got me like this. He warned me about the traps and I didn't listen. _I_ got myself into this mess. Now _I_ was going to get out of it, one way or another.

All I can do is hug him back. I don't answer. Despite the desire to, I don't cry. I just hug him. I rest my head on his shoulder and take heavy breaths. I'm trying to calm myself down because the heaving breathing is making my stomach turn more.

I would like to keep some of the rabbit and mushrooms in my stomach, so I stop breathing so hard and breathe normal. This calms it down, just a bit though.

I've found myself now resting my full weight on Yoite. He's not complaining, but I find it awkward. I shift around a bit, trying hard not to sit on him, but just as I do, his arm pulls me fully into his lap.

I gasp, but my hands are around his shoulders, still holding on. I find, though, that's he's very warm. It's calming and soothing. I enjoy this closeness. I thought, at previous moments before this, if I ever got the chance to be near another human, it would make me feel awkward. At first, it did, but with Yoite, it almost feels… Natural.

I listen to the pitter patter of the rain all around us. It's getting worse and in the distance, I think I can hear some thunder. I don't like thunder, because when I hear thunder, I know lightening is close by. I don't like lightening either.

The thunder gets louder and louder and then the sky starts to light up. I tighten my arms around Yoite's neck and whine. Yoite rubs his hand along my back, attempting to calm me in his best way. His fingers are running through strands of my hair. This is calming, but the thunder still has me shaking.

"The fire…" I hear Yoite say. I look at him and then behind us to see the fire was dimming. With this, I can feel the cold morning getting to me. The clouds in the sky were darkening once again, and the forest is dark and cold.

"It's okay." I mumble and rest my head down on his shoulder again. I feel him shake his head and push at me a little.

"No, you need to stay warm." Yoite says and places me down on the flood. "Let me get some wood."

"No!" My hand snaps out and grabs his wrist. I don't seem to have any control over my body and what I have to say now. I can't keep down what I want to say. He jumps in surprise and looks down at me. His face is worried, but I know why.

"What? But you'll be cold-"

"Please don't leave me, Yoite." I say. I sound desperate, but it is how I feel. I don't want to be left alone, not when I'm so close to dying.

I'm scared.

"_Please."_

Yoite frowns and sits back on the floor. He holds out his arms, and I don't hesitate to fall back against his chest and wrap my arms around his torso. He goes back to rubbing my back and my head and I sigh. The thunder is scaring me, but I'm calming down again.

"Okay..." He says against my ear. Now I shiver to the hot breath on my ear. "I won't leave…" I nuzzle my face against his covered neck and start breathing slowly.

I relax finally and, at some point, fall back asleep. I know it bad, but I'm physically and mentally exhausted. I can't stay awake any longer.

I didn't expect to wake up again.

I didn't expect to wake up and be feeling better.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: Okay, okay. I know I said I was going to upload this in a week, but I got six reviews within a couple of days! *brain pops* You guys are so totally awesome! I love you guys. ^^ Thank you for this because it really means a lot. I know what I am about to say will probably annoy you since I've said it so many times before, but I worked really hard on this (it really did take me a few months to finish) and I just appreciate that you guys are reading it. Just reading it makes me happy! And you guys are so kind as to review too which makes it even more satisfying. It's a really great thing that you guys review and it makes me feel so great about the hard work I put into this. Thank you again and again! I'll probably be saying this in every chapter but that's just how happy your reviews make me. :) So here's my present. ^^ Thank you again!**

**-Misty**

* * *

**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 4: It's My Turn**

* * *

My eyes flicker and twitch before they finally open. When I open my eyes, I'm greeted by the fire once again. It's dark out, but the fire lights the whole place up.

I'm staring at it, wondering if all that happened was a dream. But no. I'm still in pain. My head is still heavy, my leg still hurts, and I'm still congested. However, something is different. Before I fell asleep, I felt terrible, like I was about ready to keel over at any second, but now...

I feel better.

I roll over onto my back and look at the ceiling. My ears are listening around for any signs of enemy, but nothing. It's the first thing I ever listen for. The next thing I hear is... Nothing.

The rain is gone. The fire is all I can hear. I hear the wood cracking and an occasional pop of some ember, but that's it.

Why am I feeling better? I should be dead by now, but I can feel the sweat making Yoite's clothes damp and I know my fever has broken.

Remembering Yoite, I sit up and look around. He's back in his corner, sitting up straight and sleeping. His hat is off of his head, so this is the first time I can see him without it. Since he's asleep, I permit myself to observe him closely.

His hair is a shiny, black color. It's short in the back, but longer in the front. His bangs are strewn across his face gently and every now and then when he breathes a stray hair is whisked slightly.

He has sharp features, but these are natural. There are some spots on him that show he barely eats, but his sharp chin and cheek bones show his actual face.

Once again, in the fire, he looks more like a doll.

"Yoite..." I'm surprised to hear me say his name, but it's in a whisper, and he only shifts in his sleep. I didn't wake him up.

Good. It's obvious he's sick too. He could use the rest.

I look back at the fire and see more food waiting. Some of it isn't thoroughly cooked, but the stuff that is, well, I assume he got that for me.

Like before, I only take two sticks. I leave the other three for him. I'm glad to see my appetite is back, because when I eat, it doesn't upset my stomach.

It doesn't taste like rabbit. This meat tastes more like crow. Crows are very common to find here. They're also very stupid. Leaving out some bread will attract them. Catching them, if you know how, is easy too.

But did he know how? I sigh with my mouth full. If he didn't, what trouble did he go to get this just for me?

I lower the stick of meat on my lap and look at it. My list is getting bigger. If he keeps this up, my debts will keep piling on until I can't repay him back ever. He's already saved me multiple times, and that will be the hardest to make up for.

But then I think: What if that is what he wants? He's knows I'm indebted to him. What if he uses that against me to make me his personal slave?

I look back at Yoite and watch his sleeping face. Every part of me is saying not to trust him, that he's just a con-man like everyone else, but there is a part of me, in the back of my mind, saying that he's kind. All of this that he's doing for me is because he cares.

_'He wouldn't do that...'_ I think. I look down at my covered leg and pull the pant leg back. My ankle is still swollen, but not as much, and the red streak that showed the sepsis is gone. My eyes have gone wide and I keep running my hand along my leg. It doesn't hurt as much.

_'Yoite... What did you do?'_ I look back at him and stare.

My debt can **never **be repaid.

I place the food by the fire and quietly crawl over to where he is sleeping. With the blanket in my hand, I gently drape it over his body and up to his shoulders. He doesn't wake up.

Like this, he looks so comfortable. He actually looks a bit like a young child.

_'If only I had a stuffed animal...'_ I smile inward at my thought.

But now I'm cold. Without the blanket, my body is exposed to the cold night air. I scoot back to the fire and cover my legs with my arms. I place my hands near the fire in an attempt to warm myself up, but now my back is cold.

There is no escaping it. Without the blanket I'll be cold. But I can't just take it from Yoite. He needs it too, unless...

I look over to Yoite. He's sleeping really hard. Maybe if I'm careful I won't wake him up.

Quietly, I crawl back to Yoite's side. I check again; he's out cold. Carefully, I lift the blanket up enough for me to fit under and sit next to Yoite. Once I'm situated, I place the blanket over me.

This is much better. It's much warmer. It's even warmer with Yoite next me. I'm trying hard not to touch him. The slightest brush of even his coat has my heart beating faster, but inevitably I rest against him. He's really warm, like when he was touching my face and feeling for my fever.

Somehow this is the thing that wakes him up. He takes in a deep breath and opens his eyes. I keep my eyes shut and don't move, hoping he would think I was just sleeping. I was so comfortable that I didn't want to move.

I can feel him move a little, then look down at me. His hand leaves the blanket and touches my cheek, and I can hear him sigh in, what must be, relief. He can tell my fever has broken too.

"Hey," He whispers. I shift a little and nuzzle my face into his palm. I'm not really aware that I did this. Maybe I'm still sick? "Are you awake?" Yoite asks.

Well, I knew this wouldn't last long. It was nice while it lasted.

Just before I prepare to sit up and be awake, I feel Yoite's arm go behind my head and pull me closer to him. I use this as a "pretend" way to be startled awake.

I whine a little and rub my eyes. When I'm done, I look up at him, and I see him smirking. He's doing this because I've been caught in the act. How stubborn can he get?

I could kill him. But I won't.

"How are you feeling?" He asks. If he doesn't stop with the smirk, he's going to be in a lot pain in a minute.

"Better." I say. My voice isn't as scratchy and my throat isn't as raw from what I remember.

Yoite bends over and lifts the blanket over my leg. His lifts the pant leg and smiles when seeing that the red streak is gone.

"What did you do?" I ask. "H-How did you save me?" I still am in disbelief.

"Medicine," Yoite smiles at me and covers my leg after a couple more moments of inspection.

"Medicine?" I ask.

"Yes. I found some." He says. _Again_ with that excuse. Yoite turns his head around and I follow his eyes to an unfinished corner of his home. In a plastic bag is medicine along with some bandages and antibiotics. I recognize the bottles, but I really couldn't tell anything apart.

I frown, and he knows he's been caught. I know he's lied to me, and he knows I know.

"Really, Yoite." I cuddle closer to him and say. I want to know how he did it, because there is no possible way someone would simply leave medicine laying around in the forest in a plastic bag. Not only is it unheard of, but if someone were to do it, it'd be just plain stupid.

Yoite sighs and wraps his arm around my waist. His other hand has gone to rest on my neck. This is soothing, but I'm not letting him off that easy.

"Honestly?" Yoite looks to me, his blue eyes shining in the fire as he asks.

"Yes," I mumble. He's doing it again, that hypnotizing thing.

"Well," Yoite looks over to the flames. "Not far away, but far enough I guess, there's a long and massive trade route. Trackers are constantly there sending things off in giant trucks. When they receive stuff, they put everything on these big pallets and wait for moving trucks to pick them up." Yoite explains.

"Moving trucks?" I question.

"Yes. Tokyo... Well, the government knows, but the city people don't know that our trade is coming from North Korea." Yoite continues.

That's news, even to me. I thought our imports were from America or China. I didn't know our country was so chummy with North Korea. When did that happen?

"And you just go and steal their stuff?" I ask.

"I don't like to, but I only do it if it's absolutely necessary." Yoite looks at me again and smiles. "It was worth it."

I turn my head and blush. Why did he have to say it like _that?_

"But if there are so many Trackers, aren't you afraid of getting caught?" I have become the American game Twenty Questions.

"No," He says. I look back up at him and he's leaning his head back on the wall, looking really satisfied. "I'm not easy to catch." He says.

I don't understand, but then I think back to when he was watching me in the forest. He was extremely quiet and light on his feet. Had he not called out to me, I wouldn't have known he was there.

_'Had he not called out to me, I'd be dead.'_ I don't say this out loud.

"So that's how you got this medicine." I say.

"Yeah." He nods.

"What about the mushrooms?" Yoite suddenly chuckles.

"Actually I really did find those. A Tracker must have dropped them while on guard duty." He says. I laugh a little too. Maybe Trackers aren't as "visually gifted" as they want people to believe.

"I see," I mumble. I scoot a little closer to enjoy Yoite's and my shared room. "Well, I guess I should give my thanks to you and the Trackers." I continue.

"No, it's nothing. I'm just glad you're okay." Yoite murmurs. I'm blushing even more.

Then, and out of nowhere, Yoite coughs hard. Very hard. He balls over his knees and coughs into his hand. His coughs sound as congested and sick as my nose did earlier.

I place my hands on his shoulders, having nothing else to do to comfort him. I watch him; worry striking me hard when I see blood slip down his chin and past his fingers.

"Blood," I force Yoite down onto the floor to lie down, and this calms down his coughing… Somehow. "I hope you got enough medicine for you too." I say. I barely miss the look of guilt on his face.

"I'm okay, r-really I am." Yoite tries to sit up, but I grab his shoulders and pin him back to the floor.

_"Lay down."_ I say harshly. He gets that wounded, puppy dog look on his face and relaxes on the floor. Once he does, I place the blanket over him. He's tall, but thankfully it's long enough to go past his feet. "Now it's my turn to take care of you." I say.

I leave his side momentarily to go to the medicine. I open the bag and pull out the first few bottles of medicine I find. I look at them, but another painful secret of mine comes up and I'm hit with guilt.

I can't read.

I never got to finish school. In fact, I was only in a daycare for a year. I had learned some hiragana, and one katakana character, but that wasn't going to help me here. The characters on the bottle were completely foreign to me, like it was written in English, but it wasn't English. At least that I knew that.

I've heard many rumors that English is the most difficult language to learn, but in all honesty, I have to disagree. A teenager with university education should know at least six thousand characters of kanji. That would be someone at my or Yoite's age. But with over fifty-thousand characters, I highly doubt I'll ever be able to read.

"What's wrong, Miharu?" I hear Yoite ask from behind me.

I bite my bottom lip and grab the whole bag of medicines.

"N-Nothing, just trying to think of the dosage for you." I pretend I know what I'm saying.

"Dosage?" Yoite asks.

"Y-Yeah." I set the stuff down next to Yoite and pull out the bottles again.

I have to do my best, it's the only way I can help him.

_'Let's see, that character... Is that ni or ta? And the next... Ko? No, it's go... Shit.'_ I curse in my head. I can't do it. If I can't read it, one simple mistake could kill Yoite.

"Miharu," Yoite mumbles.

"Yeah?" I drop the medicine so it seems like I'm not trying hard.

"You can't read, can you?" Yoite asks.

Two minutes. New record. He wins.

I drop my head in disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Yoite." I say.

"For what? I can't read either." Yoite mentions with a stifled laugh. I look up. I'm surprised again.

"You can't? T-Then how did you tell which medicine was which?" I ask, pointing to said medicine.

"My... Uh, my dad used to take a lot of antibiotics for infections. I learned the kanji for those, so I recognize it." He explains.

"Oh, I see." Yoite reaches for the bottle in my hand and squints to look at it.

"This is for fevers. This is what I gave you." Yoite mumbles.

"Good! Then you'll be feeling better in no time!" I take the bottle from him and say. I start futzing with the lid, but it's not coming off. Yoite takes it from my hand again and gets it off without trying.

"Kitty locks. They're for little kids so they can't accidentally eat the medicine." He explains. I nod my head, but I can't help but feel that he just insulted me.

"Anyway, just take it." I hold a tiny blue pill in my hand out for Yoite. Instead of accepting the medicine, something I would gladly accept, he looks away and frowns. "What are you waiting for?" I ask.

"I can't take it." Yoite says.

"What? Yes you can. Just open your mouth and say _"ah,"_ Yoite." I say. He shakes his head. "Yoite, it'll get rid of your fever. Please take it." I beg.

"You don't understand. Even if I take it, it won't help me in any way." He murmurs.

"Why?" I ask. Yoite doesn't look at me. I move closer to him and touch his cheek. He looks up at me and frowns, his lower lip quivering slightly. "Please, Yoite, tell me."

"Okay..." He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I'm sick... And I've been sick for a very long time now." He explains.

My heart drops into my stomach.

"Oh..." I mumble.

"No amount of medicine can fix it. I used to take medicine to dull the pain, but I can't anymore." He says.

"What are you sick with?" I ask and immediately I regret it. Yoite looks away again and I swear I can see his eyes fighting back tears.

"It's..." I hear him choking, trying hard not to cry. I turn his head back to me and place a finger on his lips.

"Shh... If you don't want to, don't say it." I hold out the medicine for him. "But take this. It'll help your fever." I say.

Yoite's thin lips part slightly and I let the pill slip past them. He swallows and shivers for a moment at the foul taste it has.

"Sorry," I say. He smiles at me and shakes his head.

"No, thank you." He mumbles. This makes me smile. I crawl away for a moment to grab the meat that is now thoroughly cooked and bring it to Yoite. I take the pieces and pull them apart into smaller pieces. "What are you doing?" He asks.

"I'm making them smaller so it'll be easier for you to eat." I explain. He sits up on his elbows as I finish up. "Just rest on me; it'll be easier." I say.

This time it is his turn to blush. None the less, he moves closer to me and leans back on my folded legs. I keep an arm around the back of his neck for more support and hold out the first piece of meat.

"Here," I offer. He's still blushing as he opens his mouth slightly to eat. I'm the next one to blush when his lips touch my fingers. I ignore it though and continue to feed him carefully, making sure he's finished each piece fully before I give him another.

When the food is gone, he lies down on the floor and sighs. I go back to sitting by the fire, trying to warm myself the best I can. Now that he's awake, I can't sleep with... Uhm… Next to him.

"Hey Miharu," Yoite mumbles.

"Yeah?" Yoite motions for me to come next to him. I go back to him and lean over him slightly. "What's wrong?" I ask.

Yoite reaches behind my head and pulls on my neck. The sudden force makes me lose balance and I fall to his chest. I gasp and sit up quickly, but he's got his arms on my back and is holding onto me tightly.

"W-What was that for?" I ask, irritation forming.

"I thought you wanted to sleep with me. Aren't you cold?" He asks. I blush and look away, but he's right. I'm cold and uncomfortable.

"Uhm... Y-Yeah," I still can't look at him. I feel him pull again and I lay down next to him. He puts the blanket over me and I finally relax.

Next to him, it's much warmer. I rest my head against his shoulder and close my eyes. I listen to the sounds of the fire that's dying down. I can hear the sounds of animals behind the fire: birds chirping, owls hooting, and a wild dog howling in the night somewhere in the distance.

I never got the chance to really enjoy how peaceful it is at night. I'm always alone and I'm always scared and it's never relaxing, but here with Yoite, in his arms, surrounded by this warmth, it almost makes me... Happy?

I don't think I've been truly happy in such a long time. I keep pondering this thought until my mind can't think anymore. I'm exhausted, even though I didn't do anything today.

My mind is wandering, and I'm about to fall asleep when I feel Yoite's hand against my cheek. It's warm to the touch. It's very soothing. I'm about to fall asleep to this when I feel something else on my head.

A soft pair of lips.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, so I was determined to make you guys wait a few days, but then I got a comment that touched my heart. Why? Well because the reviewer said someone sent my fic to them saying they'd like it... MY FANFIC IS BEING SENT TO OTHER PEOPLE! You guys, if this has happened to you, you would know what an amazing feeling this is. It's so awesome! I love you guys so much. Thank you to my followers and reviews and anyone who just reads this in general. Now, with that being said I have a busy couple of days with work and preparing for Otakon next weekend. Depending on the comments, the next installments will be a couple of days apart. Of course if you guys give me great comments I'll upload as fast as I can. owo But again, you guys are totally awesome!**

**Next on my list to talk about. With this chapter... This chapter... I need therapy. I really do... I should get back into therapy. XD It's a short chapter too. The next isn't. But the next... *Begins to build body armor***

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**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 5: It's Something to be Done**

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My heart flutters at the feeling of his soft and gentle lips pressing against my forehead. It's soft, quiet, and barely noticeable, but for me it's like someone has just slapped me across my face.

Should I move away? Should I yell? Should I leave now? I've already gotten too close to this boy, this boy who has changed so much for me. I should leave. I can't let it get any further.

But then a thought crosses my mind.

I don't want to leave. I don't want him to stop kissing me.

This is all dangerous, because now I'm too far down. I'm drowning, and I can't get out to breathe.

I feel Yoite's lips leave my forehead, and, while still pretending to be asleep, I mourn the loss of it. I don't want it to end so soon, but like the rest of my hopes, it's pointless. It's gone, so all I can do is savor the fresh memory while I still have it.

"Miharu," I hear Yoite whisper against my ear, giving me goose bumps. "I know you're awake."

My eyes flutter open without thinking against it. I look up at him, and it only now registers how close we truly are. I'm inches from his face, and I can feel his hot breath fan on my face.

"Why are you pretending to sleep?" He asks. My eyes are trained to his. I have a lie in my head, but as I open my mouth to speak, all that comes out is a sarcastic rebuke.

"Why did you do that knowing I was awake?" I ask. He tilts his head a little to the side, as if questioning it.

"Isn't it obvious how bad of an actor you are?" Yoite asks. I flush a deeper shade of red and lower my head, but my eyes are still looking at him. "I could tell you were awake earlier too."

"You could?" I ask in a mumble.

"Yeah..."

"So..." I pause to think. Not remembering how to talk is one thing, now I'm just starting to think of other languages to speak. "If you knew I was awake... Why did you k-..." Trying to say the word makes me shiver. "Kiss me?"

"Why?" He looks away, letting me free from his hypnotizing stare. I stare at the buttons on his jacket, trying to make a better target to look at other than his eyes, but I find my gaze slowly attempting to look back into those blue irises. "... I don't really know..." He mumbles. "I guess I wanted to."

"Wanted to?" He looks down when he hears the questioning tone in my voice. His eyes are on mine and I'm stuck again.

"Yeah," He says. "There wasn't a good reason... I think." He's confusing me beyond belief, but maybe that's because he doesn't know the answer himself.

I look into his eyes and I see that he's confused. He really doesn't know why he kissed me either. Maybe he just did it. Could you do something just because of it without any reason or goal at the end of it?

I didn't know myself. I don't remember doing anything without something to gain or lose from it. Was there something to gain or lose from kissing me? Maybe Yoite just did it because he did it.

"I'm sorry." Yoite mumbles. I read the sadness in his voice and shake my head.

"For what?" I ask.

I can't deny it. I enjoyed the warm and tender kiss to my forehead. I'm hoping, in the back of my mind, that it could happen again. In my head, he really didn't do anything wrong.

"For kissing you. I should have asked... Or maybe... While you're awake..." My eyes are slowly falling to his lips as he speaks, remembering how soft they were when on my head. I see his pale cheeks start to light up with a gentle blush, and it has me blushing.

Somehow, despite the situation, it makes me mad. What he has just said irritates me. He shouldn't apologize for something I liked. (Even though I didn't know I liked it until just a few moments ago.)

I touch his cheek with my hand. My skin has warmed up now and even though it's cold it's enough for just the amount of time I need.

Yoite looks down at me, his eyes shining in the fire light. I can see him questioning me, but he'll get his answer if he's patient. I tuck my other hand under his covered cheek. He hasn't moved, in fact, he's still as stone again.

I move forward and quickly capture his lips with mine. My skin tingles with sensation, my heart beats faster, I get goose bumps along my skin, and all of this happens simultaneously. He doesn't move. All that happens is his body stiffening just the slightest, which surprises me. I didn't know he could be still any more than he was before.

Then his hand moves under the blanket to rest on my hip. He's surprised at what he did, but I'm even more surprised when it makes me whimper against his lips.

Somehow, it felt good. I liked it. I wanted it to happen again. But I couldn't just jump out and ask for that... Could I?

I open my eyes slightly and see his eyes are gently closed, making him look very peaceful. He looks more peaceful now than when he's sleeping. I burn the image into my mind. I don't know when I can see it again, so now is a good time to do that.

I pull away slightly and his eyes open slowly. They're half-lidded, but I can see them questioning me, asking, "Why did you stop?" I honestly don't know why.

I press my lips against his again, and this time he participates. He moves a little forward against my mouth, his hand slowly inching up my side. It sends shivers running through me until I shake a little.

One kiss. Two kisses. We aren't stopping.

He leans over me until I'm on my back and his hand rests by my head. He pulls away to breathe, giving me a chance to look in his eyes. He's shaking as much as I am, but I feel that the reasons for us shaking are totally different.

I pull him back to me before he catches his breath. He falls against me this time as our lips meet, making me moan a little. He does the same while I wrap my arms around his back and cling to him.

The quick temperature changes from cold, the cold all around us, and his body heat against me, and the fire feet from us is making me shiver uncontrollably now. My body doesn't know which one to go with or which one is safer in my condition.

I guess it's the same for him, although, with that stuffy coat of his, he must be dealing with more heat than I am.

My hands quickly reach to his jacket and start undoing the buttons. His jacket is getting in the way. I haven't seen him without it on yet and I want to now. He doesn't object when it slides down his arms, but it remains on his lower back, slowly sliding off itself.

Now that I see him, he's very skinny. Anyone in our positions would be, but he is a little more on the thin side than most innocent souls I've seen.

_'I'm sick... And I've been sick now for a very long time..._' His words are still ringing in my ears.

His hand slides down to my hip, and this time his fingers touch my skin under my shirt. It's a shock, because it's his cold hands, not the soft gloves I felt before. They're cold, making my body go mad with confusion, almost to the point of pain.

I whimper in our kiss and he pulls away, looking worried. I look up at him, wondering why he stopped, why he looked worried. His hand had, at some point, found its way to my stomach, and he moved his hand away, making me frown.

"Are you hurt?" He asks with a light pant. I shake my head as he sits up, leaving me.

"No, no." I can't really think of anything better to say. He looks worried and confused, but I ignore it and pull him back for a kiss.

When our lips meet, I sigh with bliss. It almost feels normal to be doing this with him. I've never felt so calm before, even when, at the same time, my body feels like it's on fire. We're so close to the fire that maybe I kicked my leg in and I really am on fire, but I'm not.

His lips leave mine for a moment, and when I look up to question him, his head falls limp next to mine and he has a fit of coughing. I pat his back like I did before, and when he's done I make him sit up to look at me.

"Are _you_ hurt?" I ask. It wasn't my intention to mock him in anyway, but apparently my voice has a tone to it that made it that way.

"No," He shakes his head, but begins to sit up. I sit up with him and wrap my arms around his neck. I kiss him before he can object to it, and he goes right back to being okay with it.

He takes me in his arms and pulls me into his lap. Our kisses now are lighter, barely there. His lips leave mine and go to my cheek, then my jaw, then my ear. I tilt my head a little so he has better access. As I do, his lips ghost over my neck.

I shiver again. It's very obvious that by now I'm aroused, but there is another thing that's obvious too. Despite all that we're doing, we won't be doing anything more than this tonight and that's okay with me. Somehow, I feel like this was something that needed to be done. It had to be let out in the open so the tension would go away.

He rests his head against my bare shoulder. A sleeve had slipped down my shoulder, adding to more cold, but when his head rests against me, I feel warm again.

I keep my arms around him and nuzzle my face against his head. My nose is tickled by each strand of his coal black hair, making me smile. I can hear him taking shallow breaths and I pat his back in reassurance. He kisses a hallow spot on my neck and I can feel him smile against my skin.

I kiss the top of his head. His breath on my neck tickles me again and again, and it makes me feel giddy.

I'm tired and I can tell that he is too. I play with strands of his hair between my fingers and rock gently back and forth. I want him to sleep. He needs the energy. I can feel his grip on me weakening and slowly I slide out of his lap.

He looks up at me with dazed, confused and tired eyes, but I offer him a smile and touch his cheek. He slowly falls against me and I lower him down to the floor. I grab the forgotten blanket and drape it over both of us.

He rests his head on my chest. I look down at him, watching his peaceful face as he closes his eyes. It doesn't take him long to fall asleep and when he does, I brush his bangs from his face.

At this point, I really know that I am happy.

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**A/N: Okay, I'm going to start talking now. This Arc is twelve chapters long. (I'm done. Tada. XD) So with that being said, I am not sure if I'm going to build a second arc onto this. So like when this is all done, the second arc will be a whole new thing. (Think of like the hunger games books. Each book is a different issue presented.) If I decide not to do that, I'll make sure all of Miharu and Yoite's (plus all characters in between) will get their stories in. If you guys want another arc though I'll go ahead and skip some parts to add them to the second arc. I will keep reminding you guys throughout the story so I know. When I hit chapter ten, I need a definitive answer. Five chapters away! Just so you know. :3 Okay, I'm done yammering. XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Gah! I don't want to die! *avoiding bricks* I'm sorry for the last chapter but this one is worse, sorry! *nearly misses a chair* Oh come on! A chair?! Real- *smack***

**Song of the day!**

** watch?v=Y7WhVy1FRV4&list=PL4BEE49D01523EB11&index=192**

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**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 6: Trackers**

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I wake up to the morning light shining down on my face through one of the cracks in the ceiling. My eyes flutter open and see the embers of the dying fire. I sigh and try to roll over, but the unmistakable form of an arm is around me.

This makes me smile. I reach down to find Yoite's hand and take it in my own. He's sleeping, but even in his sleep his fingers clench around mine. I feel him curl against my back slightly and sigh in his sleep.

I smile wider. His other arm is under my head, making a cushion for me to sleep on. The blanket is over near the corner. I nuzzle my head a little against his arm. At some point, we must have tossed it off without knowing it, but with his body against me and the dry fire in front of me, I am as warm as I can be.

I really am happy. I didn't know I could be happy ever in my life, but here I am. I'm happy. I'm not alone anymore, and it's making me feel... Safe. There is something I didn't know I could feel again either.

And then I hear a voice.

"Well, well." This isn't Yoite's voice. My eyes snap open and I follow a pair of army-like boots up to a torso and then to the head of a man with blond hair pulled back in a bandana. He has a large smirk going across his face. "Looks like we have a couple of lovebird's boys!" A couple of more men around us start to cackle and laugh.

Trackers.

It was the fire. We never put it out. The smoke must have alerted them where we were and they followed it right back to us.

I jump to my feet quickly, startling Yoite awake. He looks up with tired and half-lidded eyes and then looks around to the others.

"W-What's going on?" He asks, still not entirely aware of the situation.

I reach for my back pocket, for my pocket knife, but I remember that these aren't my clothes and my pocket knife is still m.i.a.

I bite my bottom lip and lunge at the man who spoke out first.

"No, Miharu don't!" I hear Yoite beg. But I can't stop, even if I wanted to.

No, I _really_ don't want to.

I reach for the hand gun in his holster, but he avoids me quickly and grabs my arm. I try to jerk away, but he yanks so hard that it twists my arm in ways it's not supposed to bend. I yip at the pain, but then I try throwing a leg over my head to kick him. This doesn't work either.

I hear a pleading cry and look away from the man. Another Tracker, tall and thin with dark hair like he just got out of bed, has Yoite pinned to the floor with his arms behind his back. He is pushing against Yoite's head with the heel of his boot and pulling back on his arms, making Yoite whimper in pain and beg for the man to stop.

"You let him go!" I bark and pull on my arm.

It's not about getting myself free, now it's about saving Yoite.

The man behind me grabs my throat and yanks me back. At the same time, I feel something in my arm crack. I cry in pain and fall over, but I straighten up when his fingers clench tighter around my throat and my injured arm is pulled on. I try to scream, but I can't. I can barely breathe now.

I look down and watch as Yoite is pulled to sit up. The Tracker has him by his hair and is tying his wrists tightly to the point of rope burn, or even the circulation being cut off in his hands. He looks up at me with wounded eyes, then over to the man behind me.

"Let him go!" He begs. The man hums, and then shakes his head teasingly. "Please, Yukimi! He has nothing to do with this!"

My eyes widen a little. He knows this man? This man he just called Yukimi?

I can feel him loosen his grip on me and it gives me a chance to try and brake free. Before that, though, he pushes me to the ground. I grab at my arm and whimper, but I hear Yoite calling for me and I stop.

"Actually, you're wrong, Yoite." Yukimi says. The Tracker holding onto Yoite holds up a small stack of papers. Yukimi takes them from him and flips through them, whistling as he does. "Ah, here we go!" He says while pointing to the paper.

"Rokujo Miharu. Age: sixteen. Wanted for poaching on Tracker trade routes, trading in the black market, and theft of property to the Royal Empire." He flings the papers over his shoulder like it doesn't matter anymore. "Well, that's already the death sentence."

I watch, horrified, as he pulls the gun from his holster, the same gun I tried to go for. He pulls on the hammer and points the barrel at me.

"No, Yukimi don't! Please!" Yoite begs. "Shoot me instead, just leave him alone-!" I'm so appalled by what he's just said that I can't help but yell.

"Shut up, Yoite!" Yoite gives me another wounded, puppy-dog look, but this time I don't have any pity for it.

"Both of you be quiet!" A Tracker hisses from behind Yukimi.

"Piss off; I don't take orders from ninja hounds like you!" I bark, hoping to draw the attention away from Yoite and back to me.

The guard behind Yoite reaches out and throws a quick hit to my cheek. It stings, but I only spit back in his direction.

"Thobari!" Yukimi stops him before he can throw another punch at me. "Restrain yourself; you're letting a kid get the worst of you." He says. Thobari recoils back, but as a punishment towards me, he gives a good yank on one of Yoite's arms. Yoite cries out in pain.

"Stop it!" I beg. "If you're going to kill me then do it! Shoot _me_, but leave him alone!"

"This is such a hassle." Another Tracker speaks up.

"Yeah, just kill them both already." One more says.

Yukimi is eyeing us up and down and left and right. He has an unreadable expression on his face, but I don't know what it's for. Is he mad or confused? Is he thinking really hard or is he trying to make a plan in his head? I guess those would both be the same.

"I have a better idea." He announces, getting everyone's, and my, attentions. "Let's let the Shinrabansou decide what fate should be brought for these two." He says.

I gasp slightly and stare at Yoite. He looks at me with frightened eyes.

_'No, not him, anyone but him.'_ I think. I can see Yoite thinking the same thing.

Thobari hoists Yoite onto his legs and Yukimi yanks him away from me. Another Tracker pulls on my newly injured arm and makes me tag along, but all the while I'm keeping a close distance to Yoite. Every time he tries to put distance between us, I tug away and get as close as I can to Yoite. The man hits me over the back of my head with the heel of his hand as punishment.

They take us at least half of a mile away from our safe place until we reach a heavily muddy road. Parked by the side are their trucks which are dirtied by mud, blood, and leaves. The trucks are large and the back compartments are what take up most of the space. This is where they put criminals. This is where they're going to put us.

"All right, get in." Yukimi instructs. Yoite goes in without a fight and his hands are tied above his head. With me, however, they have issues.

I'm not just taking this without a fight, and that's what I plan on giving them. I fight against them, kicking and screaming. I kick at them, and it takes them forever to get me in. They have to subdue my legs and keep my arms behind my back. The one called Thobari has his arms wrapped around my waist, which I quickly protest to.

Him touching me makes Yoite look up, and I can see how angry this makes him, but it's not like he can do anything about it.

They force me in and sit me down in a seat opposite from Yoite. Two guys hold my legs down while Yukimi pulls my hands over my head. I spit at him, but he slams my hands against the metal grating behind my head and I stop.

Both of my hands are suspended above my head by wire and I've seen it before. It isn't the type of wire Yoite used to snare animals. This wire is much thinner and is connected to a bunch of gears behind the grating so that every time I move it tightens around my wrists. So if someone were to fight against it, it's a sure way to lose your hands and a lot of blood. I can see the stains all around me from people who tried to escape before.

"Strapped in boys?" Yukimi asks. I hiss, but I don't say anything. "Alright, buckle up!" He says with a contorted laugh. Yeah, he's laughing because it was a terrible joke.

The Trackers leave and the doors shut loudly. I look up at Yoite whose head is down. I can hear him breathing unsteadily as the truck begins to move. He's trying not to cry.

"... Are you okay?" I ask. He looks up like he's startled. He must not have thought that I was going to talk to him.

"Yes..." He says.

"Good... Don't worry, Yoite. I'll get us out of here." I assure. I move my wrist just a little. The trap doesn't go off, so I can easily assume that the trap doesn't go off by small movements.

"No, Miharu, you can't." Yoite says weakly. I look in his eyes, seeing the despair and sadness pouring out of them.

"Yes I can." I say.

"How? I mean, even if you did, we're in the view of royal Trackers. They have cameras everywhere in the city." Yoite explains.

"We aren't going to the city!" I snap just a bit. I don't mean to, but I can't help but cringe at the sound of the city.

"But that's where they're takin-."

"I said we _aren't_ going!" I bark. "I'm not going back there, and neither are you!" Yoite coils a little and stays quiet. I sigh, immediately regretting it.

"I'm sorry, Yoite..." I murmur.

"It's okay..." After he says this, it all goes quiet. The only sounds we hear are two men up front laughing and the rumbling sound of the truck on the dirt road. This sound goes away and is replaced with the echoes of something else.

I look through the small square window above Yoite's head to see nothing but gray going by. No doubt this is the cement paving of the inside of the tunnel to the city. We're getting close.

I slowly inch my hands away from the grating behind me. At first it works, but when my hands get near my forehead, the trap automatically reacts and yanks my hands right back up. I cry to the pain, but my heart beats faster when I feel something drip down my arm. I look up to see that the wire has cut into my wrists and blood is slipping down my arms.

"Miharu...!" Yoite starts.

"I-I'm okay. I promise, Yoite." I say. He looks terribly worried, but he remains quiet.

All the while, even this tiny separation from us is killing me. I want to be right next to him. I want to hold him when I tell him I'm okay and I want him to hold me. I start to think about how this wouldn't be happening had one of us had put out the fire. We were careless and now we were heading to the one place we didn't want to be. The one place I fled from thirteen years ago.

But then I scold myself. It was a mistake and mistakes happen. And here I am saying that what we did was the cause of it. Oh no, it wasn't. I enjoyed every bit of last night and I don't regret it.

The truck comes to a sudden stop. I look up and so does Yoite. Had we already reached our destination? I hear the cackling of the Trackers outside and then another voice. It's a younger voice, weak and helpless. There's a scream and then a shout from a Tracker.

The doors to the truck open and I'm about ready to jump out when I remember my predicament. I see the Trackers hauling a young boy into the seats. He puts up a heavy fight and kicks around, but it doesn't do him any good. It's obvious how weak and hungry he is.

"Look at that, some new play mates for ya." Yukimi alines the trap with the poor boys hands. He's crying over and over again, saying sorry, but Yukimi has no tolerance for him.

Once the boy is secured, Yukimi leaves, the door shuts, and the truck begins to move. He cries even harder now, completely distracted. This gives me a chance to look him over.

He's very emaciated. Yoite and I are both quite skinny from lack of food, but at least we know how to hunt. This kid looks like he hasn't eaten a day in his life. I can see his bones in his arms and the dark veins sticking right out. If it weren't for his tattered old shirt, I would probably be able to see his spine too.

He's trying to cover his face with his hair, but his black curly hair is too short, no matter how unruly it is. He's resorted to just crying in front of us until he can't even breathe right. His eyes are puffy and red; his nose is red and drippy. The poor boy can't even reach out to get it clean.

"Um... A-Are you okay?" Yoite starts by asking. The boy looks up startled and he waits a moment to answer while the truck makes him rock. His only answer is a shake of the head.

How could he be okay? There was no being okay in this day and age.

"No; I wanna go h-home." His voice is young, very young.

"Where is your home?" I ask. I'm curious, because I want to see if living in the city gives any benefit.

"... I don't know..." He mumbles. I hear his real answer though.

_"I don't have one."_ Is what he's really saying. First impressions are always important. Well this one sucks.

"What's your name?" I ask. The boy looks up at me with helpless black eyes and sighs.

"I'm Gau..." He says, almost like he regrets it. "W-What's your name?" He looks at me and asks.

"My name is Miharu." I say. He looks to Yoite.

"I'm Yoite," He answers. "What are they taking you in for?" Yoite asks. He makes it sound like we're criminals with the way he says it.

"I-I didn't sign up for the Tracker Redemption and Refinement." He says.

Tracker Redemption and Refinement here in the city is a process you undergo like the old Christian Baptizing in America, except this is totally different in the case. Signing up for it shows you're going to enter the world of Nabari to fight. To do this, you're chemically cleaned, a process that takes hours and is painful, and then you spend five years in training. The training is extensive with only six hours of sleep to hold you up and tiny, rash food portions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is how they break you.

The point of it is to make you strong to protect the Nabari world, yes, but its main point is to break you. Going there insures a broken spirit too tired for any sort of rebellion. This also teaches the young people that they are powerless against the Shinrabansou, who created this terrible thing to begin with.

All boys at the age of sixteen must sign up. By law it's required. Instead of going to school, you go there instead for five more years.

I guess that's another law on my list of things I've broken.

"Is that why you're here?" Gau asks. We shake our heads. He asks us what they are taking us in for, but the list is so long we can't even answer.

"The list of why we aren't going in is shorter." I say. I don't mean it as a joke; I'm serious, but it puts a smile on Gau's face. "But yeah, that's one reason." I add.

"I guess I'm on the list too, even though I'm from another prefecture." Yoite murmurs. Now that I think about it, this is the first time Yoite's mentioned where he is from. It's not a lot to go on, yes, but it's something to start with.

"It doesn't matter what prefecture we're from. You could be from Denmark for all we know, and the..." I pause to raise my voice. "Ninja hounds won't give a shit!" I yell.

"Miharu, don't! There are cameras in here." Gau warns. I don't take it seriously, but I look around, interested. And sure enough, there is a camera perched in the top right left corner of the vehicle.

"Quiet down back there!" I hear a Tracker howl. I sigh and shift around. My arms are getting cold and I'm starting to feel slightly tipsy.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're in this country and you're under _his _rule." I say, but quietly.

"I'm not from Denmark." Gau says. He obviously didn't get my joke.

There is a sudden screech along with the truck coming to an instant stop. I try my hardest not to move, and so does Yoite, but Gau is flung around in his seat, setting off the trap and causing his wrists to be cut. He cries again and I can't blame him.

The back door opens and we see the same team of Trackers from before are glaring and grinning at us. The first one they pull out is Gau who cries and cries and screams and kicks. He is so afraid, but he's so tired and hungry that he can't last for long.

What do they plan to do to him? I can see that to them it's a terrible crime, but one that can be fixed easily. All they have to do is sign him up and make him endure. I would hate it myself, but at least it's food, water and shelter. It may be harsh, but it's probably better than what he's got going on now.

"Alright, let's go." Thobari hops into the truck and gets me next. He cuts the wire behind my head, still keeping a firm grip on me, and pulls me out. I kick and scream more than Gau did, but they have my arms bound again and a rope around my neck.

At first I think this is my punishment; that they'll hang me, but then when I pull a little, it tightens around my neck. I can't run because it'll choke me to death, that's the point of it.

Next is Yoite. I watch with fear as they pull him out, but they don't tie a noose around his neck. I'm assuming they think he's less of a problem since he hasn't fought once.

They bring us close together while they chat. They're all going on about a cinema they've seen in a theater. I've never been to a movie theater before, but with the way they talk, it must be fun.

I look to Yoite, hoping to assure him and myself that we will be alright, but he's looking at something else. He's looking up. His eyes are wide, but I can't tell if he's scared or amazed. I follow his eyes to see, just in front of us, a large, towering building like none I've ever seen before.

It is huge and made of shear marble. I know it because it's a fact that most of the buildings in the city are made of marble. It shines in the artificial sun crafted in the sky, illuminating the whole city.

The sun is fake. I can give you thousands of reasons why it's fake. The main reason is because the rich people in this town became so self-absorbed about their fun business parties being outside and having to swim all the time that they replaced the sun with one that always stays in the middle of the sky and never goes down.

It's created a long shadow for the building. This shadow makes where we stand cold, uninviting, and distant. No one gets near it.

"Welcome to the Global Edifice, boys!" Yukimi says joyfully.

The Global Edifice. The place that stands miles high and miles long. The place we're to possibly die.

The place that the Shinrabansou inhabits.

* * *

**A/N: Ow... Can I just put on my helme- *gets hit in the face with a tomato***


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter is a bit of a... I can't remember the word. Y_Y It's supposed to introduce a lot of other characters. Everyone was so shocked by last chapter though. I was laughing at it. XD Keep reading, it gets better! ... In my opinion. XD Everyone was like, "Nuuu Yukimi~ Thobari~" And I was enjoying that. :) Okay, I shouldn't but I do. XD But again many thanks to all of the comments again! I'm really loving it. :3**

**Song of the day (Since I haven't done it in a few chapters):**

** watch?v=KLHY_7PgaV0**

**All done for today! Let's go meet those new characters, shall we? Follow me~ :D *flies away***

**-Misty**

* * *

**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 7: Torture**

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The building halls smell ripe, like old cleaning fluid. The walls are long and tall and the floors are just the same. Everywhere is white and clean. There is an occasional wall painting or potted plant, but besides that it's all barren, except for the hustle and bustle of people running around.

Being dragged by the trackers while all of these executive and rich control people are in these halls is by far the most embarrassing moment in my life. Every time I start to look down, a Tracker in front of me pulls on the noose, makes me walk forward faster, and forces me to look up. I don't say anything against it because I don't want to humiliate myself any more than I am right now.

Yoite is being calm, though his hat is hiding his face and keeping the obvious blush well hidden. I can see him clenching his fists tightly together behind his back and I know how much this must frighten him. He's in a worse mental state than I am right now.

But as we go farther and farther down into the building, the crowd of people who stared and gawked fade away until it's only a few passing bystanders. This eases the anxiety I'm feeling.

Suddenly, some of the Trackers stop, and as I walk forward, not realizing it yet, they give a good hard yank on the noose. I gag and stop. However, the two other Trackers have Yoite and they aren't stopping. I watch with fear and horror as he keeps getting further away.

"No wait!" I cry. Yoite turns around and stops, noticing I haven't been moving. He cries back and tries to pull away, but they grab him forcefully and pull him away. "No stop!" The Trackers behind me keep pulling on the noose and pulling me backwards.

I hear the squeak of a metal door opening and watch as Yoite disappears and the door shuts in front of my eyes. They've pulled me into a room, though I can care less what's in it. I can still hear Yoite crying for me.

He's calling my name.

When the door is locked, the noose is pulled off and the handcuffs are released, I spring for the door and bash my fists against it.

"Yoite!" I yell, but his voice is gone.

I direct my anger back to the Trackers and charge at them. They step aside as I go by and they grab my arms. I fling myself around, but it's no use.

They turn me around and I see what looks to be a pool of some sort. It's filled to the brim with water and flooded with... Bubbles, I think. I don't remember bubbles very well, but I think that's what they are. There are two people in, once again, white jumpsuits. They have gloves on and goggles too. Behind them is a large mirror, and for the first time in thirteen years, I see myself.

I wish I hadn't.

My previous assumptions of what I may look like we're based off what I knew I looked like as a baby. But they're_ very_ off. I guessed I was gangly since I rarely ate, but I didn't expect this.

I am very thin. I was thin, even as a child, but this is overkill. I look a little like Gau with how thin I am. My hair was down to my shoulders and cut in all sorts of angles. My body was covered in dirt from head to toe. I look like I deliberately rolled in a pile of dirt. The clothes Yoite lent me are big and baggy, but also littered with holes.

I'm shocked beyond belief. I look at myself for a while, then back to the two people in jumpsuits. The Trackers yank me forward to them. I fight against them, but after seeing the ghost of myself, I'm still weak with fright.

"Strip him." Instructs the one on the right. I don't get what they mean at first, but then I'm suddenly yanked out of my shirt and my baggy pants are pulled to the floor. I scream and hiss and fight, but they grab my undergarments and take those away too.

I scream and kick at them, but I'm left naked in merely seconds. They still have a hold on my arms, but now I'm trying to hide behind them to be decent. If I thought I was humiliated before, I'd rather, and **gladly**, take the humiliation from previous events.

"Get him in already." The one on the left says. They pull me forward more and to the edge of the pool. They let go of my arms, but then hit me in the back and make me fall forward.

I fall into the water. I can't swim and I feel myself slowly sinking. I keep trying to swim by flailing my arms in the water, but it's not working. I keep trying to breathe, but this bubbly water keeps going down my throat. It tastes like crap, it really does. I feel my feet start to touch the bottom. I try to push myself back up to the top, but I keep sinking.

I feel my arms being lifted, and I'm pulled through the water until I reach the surface. I hope it's Yoite who's saved me, but I know it's not. Despite that, I cling to the person who is holding me and I gasp for breath. I can still taste the water in my mouth and I keep spitting to get rid of it, but it's not going away. As I try to get air, my head is pushed under water and I get more water in my mouth.

My eyes start to burn whenever I open them. The water is now burning my lungs. I'm pulled up out of the water again and then dunked right back down. When I'm pulled out again, I start scratching at the hand on top of my head, but it's no use. They're wearing gloves.

They do this two or three more times and finally let me breathe fresh air. Even the ugly clean air is better than nothing. I hug the person again in hopes they won't let me drown.

"Alright, scrub him down!" I hear one of the Trackers say. I can't open my eyes to see who, but it wasn't the same voice as before.

One of the people takes my arm in their hands and starts running something over it. This something is pointy, sharp and scratches my skin as they go over one spot over and over again.

"Ouch!" I yip. They don't stop what they're doing. I finally open my eyes, though my sight is blurry, and I see them holding a brush and running it against my skin. They keep scratching the brush along my arm and then the next. Next they start scratching away at my chest and neck.

"Stop, stop it!" I gasp.

"You must be clean before seeing the Shinrabansou!" A Tracker calls from the side of the pool. They dunk my head one more time and pull me up to run a disgusting smelling liquid into my hair. Again it's in my eyes and I start smacking at the people to have them leave me alone. "It hurts!" I bark.

The brush goes to my legs, nearly flipping me upside down in the water. I honestly can't help but laugh just a little when the brush goes over my feet. I don't do it anymore though and go back to kicking. They do this to both of my legs and then a little higher, more than I'd like to have them touch. I start yelling at them, using words I haven't even used in my life before.

Once all of my body had been scrubbed clean, I am limp. My body is raw and in pain and I am pretty sure at this point if I didn't clean my eyes soon I would go blind. They grab my arms and start dragging me out of the water. As soon as I'm out of the water, they drop me on the floor. The tiles of the floor are freezing cold.

I crawl along the floor, trying to get away from the four people who were torturing me with a bath. I hear them cackling and laughing at me, at my pitiful form and self. I turn my head and spit in their direction, I think. I can't tell where they are. This doesn't make them happy. It makes them really angry.

I'm suddenly sprayed with a lot of lemon scented liquid that's freezing cold. It makes me fall over and shiver on the floor. I pull my hands in front of my face and try to keep the liquid from getting on me.

"Stop!" I don't know why I keep begging, because I know they won't stop. They're laughing harder now, but after a few minutes, they finally stop. They pull me up from the slippery floor and wrap a warm and fuzzy clean towel around me. This is probably the kindest gesture they've given me.

"Even after all that, he still looks dirty." Someone says. I've closed my eyes and given up on trying to fight. I'm leaning against one of them, trying to keep warm. "Should we put him in one more time?"

"Nah, just get him in something dry and feed him." Another says.

"Don't feed him. Let's clean him up real nice and good and present him to the Shinrabansou." The person I'm leaning on says. This one has an accent and a bad slur of words, almost like he's drunk.

I find it somehow sadistic that they're getting me clean for my own death.

"If we are going to do that, then cut his hair too. Half of the dirt on him was in his hair." They begin to laugh. Well, I guess I can thank them for cleaning me.

I'm dragged away from the pool and pulled into another room. It's warmer, but I don't know where it is. I've kept my eyes closed. Not because of the soap. Now it's because I'm scared.

My skin is raw and my body is sore. I'm freezing cold. I think it's best if I stay calm for now so I can save as much energy for fighting later, or possibly finding Yoite.

They dry my body off for me. More people are around, but only one person is drying me. I'm glad because this one person has a gentle touch and is being careful with my raw skin. Once I'm dry, I'm slipped into heavy and warm clothes. These fit me well and I'm not dragging the pant legs by my sides. I'm wearing socks for the first time in years and the shoes on my feet don't have holes in the soles.

After that, I'm sat into a chair and tied down. I open my eyes for this and look around. There's a lady in front of me with a pair of scissors in one hand and a comb in the other. She has long brown hair down past her shoulders. She has a smile that's warming my heart. It's hard to believe someone like this works for those Ninja hounds.

"So, I've been told to cut your hair. How do you want it?" She asks. Her voice is so warm and buttery it makes my heart flutter. She sounds so nice.

"Uh..." Oh good one.

"Don't worry, so long as you don't thrash around you aren't going to lose an ear." She jokes. I look around, waiting for the Trackers to laugh when I see that everyone has left the room. I'm now alone with this lady.

"I won't." I say.

"So," She begins. "What's your name?" She's asks, going behind me. I feel her running her fingers through my hair, but I don't fight her.

"Um, I'm Miharu." I say.

"Miharu? Well Miharu, you seem awfully young to be here." She says.

"You do too." I rebuke.

"Oh no, I'm nearing my fifties now. I fit right in." She begins to laugh. I can hear her begin to snip away at my hair.

"You are...?" She nods her head. "... What's your name, miss?" I ask.

"I wish I could say, but I'm not allowed to tell prisoners." She frowns. I nod in understanding. "You seem too nice to be here though, Miharu." She says. "Of course, half of the kids coming in are too young and nice." She continues.

"Have you... Met anyone named Gau yet?" I ask.

"I don't know. I have met so many people today. I don't ask all of their names." She mentions.

"H-He had curly hair, and it was black. His eyes were black and-" I am turned in the chair so I face her. She begins to cut my bangs.

"Oh yes, him; the poor thing. He was crying when he got in here." She says with another frown. "All of that pretty hair is gone now."

"So you did see him?"

"Yes. He is someone you don't seem to forget." She mumbles. I sigh and look around. I want to distract my mind from what's going on at the moment, which is getting my hair cut off by someone working for the Nabari No Ou.

The room, no surprise here, is white. It doesn't smell of cleaner like the other rooms though. My guess is because all around the room there is nothing but flowers. It's almost like a greenhouse. There are so many assortments of flowers, being colorful or big or small. There are flowers in vases and flowers in big pots. There are flowers hanging from the ceiling and flowers in a planter buried in the ground. They're everywhere.

"Flowers..." I mumble. She looks up and around the room. She then starts to giggle.

"Oh yeah. I absolutely hate that cleaner they use. It smells like lemons, but it's so... _"Vibrant"_ that it burns my nose!" She makes a face like she still smells the cleaner, but you can't smell anything past all of the flowers.

The flowers... Hana... _Hana... Flowers…_

... Oh duh...

"Alright, all done!" She chirps with glee. I look around so I can see my new haircut, but there aren't any mirrors in this room. I find that really weird. "You'll have to wait until you get to your cell. There aren't any mirrors in here." She says.

I get why though. The mirrors with the pool, being long and tall, are supposed to scare you. They're supposed to show your emaciated and dirty self and frighten you. The mirrors won't appear again until I get to a cell, because then I'll be clean and well-groomed. It's a technique to make you think the Global Edifice and its unfair government is what will bring you tranquility.

I look to the kind women and smile. I mouth the words, _'thank you, Hana,'_ which makes her smile and hum. She pats my clean head.

"You're a smart boy, Miharu. Smart and brave. Don't ever forget that." Hana says.

For a moment I enjoy her gentle hand against my head. I close my eyes and let her pet me. Her touch is as kind and gentle as the mother I barely remember.

But all good things must come to an end. The doors open and Trackers are there to take me away. One doesn't look familiar, in fact he wasn't there to take me and Yoite away, but the other I remember being Thobari.

"Let's go." Thobari says. I feel Hana's hand slip away and I mourn the loss. I get up from the chair and walk to them slowly and cautiously. My hands are once again tied behind my back and I'm pulled away.

I look back one last time at Hana. I wish I hadn't, because she's crying. She's smiling at me with her hand to her rosy lips, but she's crying all the same. I want to turn back around to comfort her, but she waves and the door shuts.

Hana is gone. I already miss her.

I'm pulled along a bunch of room until cells start appearing. I assume they're going to put me in one, and I distantly wonder if I'll be near Yoite, but they never stop at one. Instead, we keep walking and walking for what feels like forever until we're past the cells. We keep going until the cells are gone and we're back in clean halls.

We walk a little more until we finally reach a large set of doors towering over us. They're an expensive wood with gold doorknobs.

_'Compensating for something?'_ I ask myself in my head.

The doors open without anyone touching it and I am pushed past them and on to the floor. The door shuts behind me, leaving me alone. The whole room is dark except for the electric lights next to the doors. I squint my eyes a little and look around, but it's useless. I can't see anything.

The doors open behind me again and I stand in defense. Three Trackers are there this time and in their arms is a limp Yoite.

"Yoite!" I cry. They throw him to the floor as they did me and I run to his aid. He's groaning, which means he's alive, and I can't be any happier. "Yoite! Yoite, can you hear me?" I ask.

He raises a hand and touches my lips with his fingers. He looks up at me for a moment and then smiles.

"Don't be so loud..." He murmurs. Despite the insult, I laugh and nuzzle my forehead against his.

He smells of the lemon liquid too, but the scent seems to blend better on him than anything else. He's clean like me and in different clothes; more white that doesn't work with his figure. They didn't cut his hair which I'm thankful for. I like everything about him the way he is.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yes." He replies. His voice is a little scratchy.

"Did they hurt you?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"They were rough, but they didn't hurt me." He says. I sigh in relief.

"That's good." I mumble. "I'm glad you're okay. I was really worried."

"I was worried for you." Yoite says poetically. I smile again.

"How lovely a sight this is!" The lights in the room are suddenly turned on, making me shut my eyes. It's way too bright. I open them and look around despite it.

In the middle of the room is a chair like a throne. In this chair is a woman...

And she looks _a_ lot like me.

"Welcome young lovers!" She says effervescently, holding out her hands like she's going to hug us. I stand up with Yoite and stare at this woman.

"Miharu... She looks just like you." Yoite whispers in my ear. I nod my head.

"Yeah..." I hiss. Yoite's hand reaches for mine and I clutch it carefully.

"Oh look at how youth blossoms! Two boys, forbidden by love yet still search for it!" She stands and spins around her chair.

"W-Who are you?" Yoite asks. I look back at him, a little surprised by this. He's so straightforward about it, but I could hear his voice quivering. He's still afraid.

"Me? _Me_!" She seems way too shocked by this. "I am the ruler of this place!" She points everywhere.

Yoite clutches my hand tighter. I can tell this makes him even more afraid. I am too. In an instant, this person could kill us by any means she desires.

"You aren't the ruler." I hiss lowly. She still hears me. She glares in my direction and growls in her throat.

"Don't talk like that to me, Miharu." She growls.

"Do you know her?" Yoite asks.

"Of course he knows me!" She barks. "I raised him and fed him and cared for him when he was sick! And now here he is getting a serious punishment for crimes unbelievable in my eyes!"

"Wait..." Yoite mumbles. I look down at the floor but turn my body towards him. "She's... _Your mother_?" He asks.

I bite my lip to a painful extent.

"No." I say. "That's not my mother." I look at her as she falls down into her chair in shock.

"Oh Miharu! How could you say such things?" She places her hand over her heart like she's been stabbed. I painfully grip Yoite's hand, trying my hardest to keep calm. "Why, Miharu; why?"

"Because... My mother died thirteen years ago..." I say. "But you would know that, wouldn't you, _Kotaro_?" I ask.

The imposter before me grins wildly.

"Oh, Miharu. I can't fool you, can I?" Her voice has gotten deeper, like a man's voice. The imposter stands. As they walk towards us, the face so close to my mother's shifts into hideous forms, making me remember the day she died. The whole body shifts, and my mother is gone. In place is a man looking to be in his forties.

This man is Kotaro Fumma.

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**A/N: *Avoiding bricks* At least let me have a two minute head start! *Runs away***


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So no new updates until after the weekend is over. I'll be at Otakon in Baltimore, so I won't be able to post anything anytime over the weekend. I want to say some things first before I go though.**

**1st: Someone mentioned to me (and I'm glad they did) that school will be starting soon for them. Since they mentioned this, I decided I'll only do updates on weekends. I don't want to impede any sleep or learning so I won't update until after the con sometime next week. Don't get angry or anything, but I did have one person (on youtube, not here XD) say they were reading a fanfic of mine during class...**

**I was not happy. e_e Don't do that guys, please don't. Your education is important. If it means to be it, I will only update on weekends so you guys are learning. :3 It would make me happy if you put learning first. I know you don't like it most of the time, but it's important. I graduated so I'm in no hurry, but I will wait months if it means getting the point out! Okay? :D**

**2nd: Since I won't be able to answer messages, I wanted to- *sees building flying at me* ... Ah crap.**

***boom* Ow... Wanted to say that for this story, since I never mentioned it before, there will be spoilers for all of the manga and anime. If you look closely you can see more detailed moments that happen in the manga or anime that some people normally wouldn't catch. Also, though it's not in this chapter, in another chapter there are remarks that are stated directly FROM THE MANGA! I'm not trying to copyright... I'm trying to be politically correct. XD You should know almost all the characters from the show will be here. No worries! Yes, Gau shall come back and Kouichi and Raimei. :3 BUT! Since I decided on it, there will be an arc two. I will tell you know some characters won't have bigger roles until arc two, so don't freak out! Mostly everybody is mentioned here, but others don't come up again until later. :3 So, now for- *faces gets hit with a brick***

**... Can I have diamond armor? I know this isn't mine craft but I'm getting my ass beaten! X'D**

**良い 週末 を！**

**(Have a great weekend!)**

**-Misty**

**P.S. This chapter is a little shorter, sorry. Next won't be as bad. :3**

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**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 8: Kira**

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"Oh my, how time has ravaged you." Kotaro says. I reach behind my back and grab Yoite's hand with my other hand, preparing myself in case I decided to run. I wasn't going to lose him. Not again.

"Kotaro Fuuma." Yoite murmurs. So he knows his name too. It doesn't surprise me. He's a very famous man for all the wrong _reasons_ and in all the wrong _places._ With the way we live, it shouldn't be hard to see why.

"And how have we been outside my wonderful cities, dear shrews?" He asks. He gets closer to me, closer than I'd like. I can feel his breath from his nose on the top of my head. He's staring me down.

I look up and glare as haltingly as I can. I want to spit at him. I want to pull out the pocket knife that I can't find and stab him. I want to kill him. I want to murder him and show his decapitated body to the world. Of course I won't do that… Well, not here. Not in front of Yoite.

"Well?" He asks.

"... Don't you _ever_ use my mother's face in front of me again." I hiss with a threatening tone. Kotaro acts as if he's been stabbed in the heart again and drags his feet as he starts walking away from us and back to his throne.

"Oh Miharu, you're so mean. I remember the days when you were a child. So bright and bubbly!" He begins. "Those days when having a mother who possessed the Shinrabansou didn't mean a thing in the world to you." He says. I grind my teeth together in massive hatred.

"Shut up!" He can't hear it. Yoite can't hear it. He can't know.

"Oh my, it must have been thirteen years by now. I looked at your records. You'll be seventeen in October. How wonderful." He says and claps his hands for applause. I grit my teeth together.

"Sixteen. How old we're you, Miharu?" He asks. I feel Yoite pull on my hand when Kotaro walks closer to us again. He pulls me back and wraps an arm around my waist. I lean back into him, but I won't let this be a disadvantage. I won't let Kotaro think that he's pushing me down.

"How old was I what?" I ask.

"You know~," He beams. "How old we're you when I _ripped_ the Shinrabansou from your tiny little body?" He says in a whisper, but it's loud enough for Yoite and I to hear.

Why did I ask?

"I said shut up!" I yell. I can feel Yoite tense behind me. This is what I didn't want. I didn't want him to know about that.

"Six? Seven? Oh how time escapes me. I know your grandmother took you in after your parent's death, but… Oh well, she wasn't as _necessary_ as your mother was." He pats my head. I lunge forward at him, but Yoite holds me back and keeps me from ripping his sarcastic little lips off.

"Of course killing your mother was a small set back." He turns away just as I reach for him with a free hand I got loose from Yoite. Yoite grabs me again though and pulls me back with as much force as his sick body can handle.

"Bastard!" I yell. By now, I'm kicking and fighting against Yoite as much as I can and even though I know how much this must make him tired, I can't help it. I truly want to kill Kotaro. Yoite gets to the point of wrapping his arm around my neck to suppress me, and this works. I'm already dizzy and tired and him cutting off my air doesn't help.

I finally stop struggling. The air gets cut off from my brain, and it gives me a chance to think about what I'm doing.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Yoite yells. I turn around in his arms and look up at him. The determination in his eyes has me shocked and surprised. Why was he standing up for me? Even now, after hearing about my past, he's doing it for me. It doesn't make sense.

Kotaro looks back and this time directs his attention to Yoite. He gets a large grin stretching across his face. I don't like the way he's looking at Yoite.

"You're So-... I mean, _Yoite_. That's what you're going by these days, right?" I can feel Yoite tense behind me again. Something Kotaro has said has made him upset, I can see it in his eyes. He's afraid. His body begins to shake slightly and I take his hand in mine again.

"You leave him alone!" I say. Yoite's arms loosen around me, letting me go. The only thing he holds onto is my hand, but his grip is very flimsy. I stay by his side though. I can't leave him alone. Not now.

"I'm surprised you two met. Yoite's from another prefecture, oh… Well, _was_ from another prefecture." Kotaro sits down in his chair and let's his fingers glide across the arm of it.

"Stop it..." Yoite whimpers with his head down. I can't see his face because his bangs are in the way. I touch his shoulder, but it worries me when he pulls away.

"You left after that accident, didn't you?"

"Stop..." I tighten Yoite's hand in my own, hoping he'll look at me, but he doesn't. He begins to shake more and more.

"Look at me." I plead. He doesn't do it.

"Tell me; do you still waste your life away so quickly and painfully with the Kira technique, or do you choose not to use it?" Kotaro asks. Yoite drops down to his knees faster than I've ever seen him move. He lets out a strangled sound while I try coaxing him into looking at me. His hand holds onto mine so tightly that it starts to hurt, but I let him do it.

Kira. What does that mean? What's Kira? A disease? Is that what Yoite is sick with?

"Yoite..." I whisper. He lifts his head a little, giving me a chance to look at him. His eyes are wide, his pupil barely dilated. The corners of his eyes are damp with tears threatening to fall. He's horrified, but why?

"Shut up..." He hisses lowly. "Just shut up." He stands and I follow him. He lifts his hand up and points a finger at Kotaro. His face if covered by his bangs again. I can't see the turmoil sweeping across his face.

"So... Are you going to kill me...? _Sora_..." Kotaro flicks some hair from his face and says.

Everything happens so fast I can't even process it in time. First, Yoite screams. Next, an explosion hits right near Kotaro, letting shrapnel flying too close to us, but gets parts of Kotaro's legs. Then, Yoite falls to the ground, crying and clutching his hand. I drop down beside him and cradle him against me, though I don't know what good it does. I reach for his hand and lift it to my field of vision so I can see if anything is broken or bleeding. What I find is even more frightening.

His hand looks to be dusted with ash, but upon touching it, it doesn't come off. His veins are sticking out of his skin a little, like someone clutched his arm and cut off its circulation. I hold it carefully, noticing how hot his hand suddenly is.

"Yoite!" I cry. He leans against me. His face goes white and for a minute he looks dead, but he shivers, letting relief slip over me. All the color is dropping out of him so fast it scares me, however. I touch his forehead and feel for a fever, and sure enough he has one. His skin is clammy and damp with sweat, but at the same time I can feel the heat emanating off of his skin without even having to touch it.

"Oh, my; so only provocation can bring you to kill yourself. How pitiful of a child you are." Kotaro says, standing from his ruined throne. He doesn't seem to be fazed by the pieces of marble in his leg.

"What did you do to him?" I ask with a harsh tone.

"Oh, it's not what I've done. Yoite did it all on his own. He chose his future on his own the day he mastered Kira." Kotaro is so articulate it makes me sick.

Yoite wraps his arms around my shoulders and clings to me. I wrap my arms around his waist and try to pick him up so I can get him somewhere safe, but I'm weak, dizzy and tired and I don't have the strength to pull him up. I can't do it.

Behind us, the giant doors open again. Seven Trackers are there with full body armor and guns the size of my arm. Three of them are pointing their guns at us while the others stand there, waiting for orders from their master.

"Please take care of them. Put them in their cells. I'll think of their punishment later." Kotaro waves his boney hand at us and speaks again. The Trackers are on us so fast I can't breathe. Only one gets me. He takes my arms behind my back, irritating my recent injuries, and ties my hands together with the thin wire from the truck. I don't fight back because I'm paying more attention to Yoite and what's happening to him.

The last three Trackers have Yoite pinned to the floor like he's an animal. He's crying again, but they don't seem to care. They yank his arms back and tie half of his arms with the wire from the truck. A noose is tied around his neck and a blindfold is put around his eyes.

"Stop it!" I beg. They don't listen to me though. I almost vomit when I hear something crack in Yoite's arm. He cries out again at the pain and I try to get to him, but the wire pulls on my hands and opens my skin and stops me.

"Hey, don't do anything to get us in trouble." A Tracker says.

"I only pulled his arm out of place. Ain't nothing broken." The one who pulled on Yoite's arms says crudely.

I feel so useless now. I can't do anything to help him. They have him pushed against the floor and I can see how much pain it causes him. I'm still so dazed. Everything is going by way too fast. I can't deal with it.

And then, if horror had fun toying with me, blood began to seep past Yoite's crying lip.

"No, stop it! Leave him alone!" Now my eyes threaten to shed tears for him. I yank as much as I can against the wire and it hurts so much that I really do start crying, but after only moments the Tracker behind me finally grabs my hair and holds me still.

Yoite is lifted off of the ground roughly and so am I. They pull him forward first and I follow without hesitation. I try to keep close, but every time I do, I'm pulled back again, inevitably cutting my skin deeper with the wire. It's almost like they don't want me getting any closer to him than I already am, which for me is not close enough.

After finally getting us together, out bodies wrapped up in wire, nooses and, for Yoite, a blindfold, we're pulled to the doors, released from this disgusting room, and walk back to the cells.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well, I'm back! Had so much fun at Otakon, and as promised I bring you this new chapter. As I said before, I won't update until the weekend so that way I don't get in the way of school. :3 I don't have much to say except for that at Otakon I got to talk to Crispen Freeman and Vic Mingona and I fangirled so hard that I am ashamed to say I really acted like a school girl (much to the character I was cosplaying. e.e) I'll show you all later in videos, but until then I have to prepare for work. ^^' Hope you enjoy this chapter! Fun stuff happens. :3**

**Now, as I said before almost every character will be mentioned throughout the two arcs I have planned. They may not have significance in this arc, but they will in the next. :3**

**WARNING: This chapter consists of mentions of suicide and violence. Therefor this chapter is going to have a rating of M. It may not need it, but I want to be safe. ^^'**

**-Misty**

* * *

**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 9: Jail**

* * *

You can't see into the cells. They're just walls meant for solitary confinement. The doors are metal with big locks and latches. There is only one panel of glass that's too high up for me to see through.

The Tracker holding onto me pulls the wire from my wrist, intentionally yanking to cut open my healing skin. Another Tracker pulls on the locks and latches and opens the door. I'm immediately hit with the smog of decaying cement, rotting walls and damp floors. I scrunch up my nose before they toss me in. I catch myself before falling onto the carpeted floor and stand to look around.

All in all, I expected worse. I've _seen _worse. I've seen better. It may be damp, moldy and it may smell bad, but there is a bed with a thin blanket and pillow in the corner. There is a lamp on a table two feet away that is flickering. Built into the wall is a projector that's plugged in, but it's off. Not far from my bed is a sink, and wouldn't you know it, a mirror above it.

It definitely could be worse and it definitely could be better.

The door shuts behind me.

I turn around and see that I'm alone. They didn't lock Yoite in here with me. I run to the door and start banging against it, yelling my head off. The room, though small, echoes loudly at my screaming and banging.

"Yoite!" I pause from my actions to listen. I can hear laughter from outside my door, but I don't hear Yoite's voice. Where are they taking him? Surely that noose if only to keep Yoite still, right?

... Right...

I start banging again.

"You bastards! If you lay a hand on him I'll kill you!" I shout. This seems to do the trick. The little panel of glass is uncovered and I see blue eyes peering down at me.

"Shut up you little devil!" Yukimi hisses.

"Where's Yoite?" I ask. "Tell me where he is!" I demand petulantly.

"He's in his own comfy jail cell." The blond man says and the window is covered.

"I want to see him!" I yell and start banging again. The window opens, but another set of eyes is watching me.

"Little brat!" He spits through the window at me. "If you don't shut up, I'm flooding your room and drowning you!" He shuts the window without another word.

I look up and around and see a few holes in certain places; a few on the floor and some too high for me to reach. Now I get why this room smells of mold. When someone doesn't behave, they fill the room with water as punishment. To think of a slow death such as that actually scares me, but I don't stop.

I yell for at least a half an hour. My throat feels raw again and it starts to hurt from all the screaming. My knuckles begin to bleed from the excessive pounding of my hands against the door. After all that, I finally give up.

They must have left because no one is spitting at me now. The room isn't being filled with water that will drown me. I lift my hands to my face and see that there is blood smeared everywhere on them. This is disgusting, but then I get a thought. I smear the blood on my white clothes. A little rebellion never hurts...

_... Much..._

I get up and walk over to the bed. It's dry and so is the blanket and pillow. I sit down on the bed and wrap the blanket around my shoulders, realizing it was really cold in here. It doesn't work though. Without Yoite, I'm cold.

I need his body heat again. I need that rare but warm smile. I need those blue eyes hidden away behind his tan cap. I need his presence. Without his existence, it's useless.

I stand up and look at the projector. This is more high tech than what my parents or grandmother had. They had something called a television or TV. They came in all shapes and sizes, but this replaced them because it could project 3D images. However, despite how high tech it is, there are only a few buttons on it.

I push the one that's blue. The projector sputters out dust and turns on. I cough as the dust gets into my throat, but look to see what has started playing. I'm hoping this will somehow calm my nerves so I can think of a plan to get Yoite.

A little more sputtering and the projector finally flashes its 3D images. There's a program on with the city at a bids eye view. _"Today in Tokyo!"_ The words flash across the screen to the music and a voice. _"Several more rebel camps have been raided and the rebels brought to justice!" _Images of their bodies are brought up.

I'm astounded by how I can see their full bodies, as if they're standing right next to me. My eyes stick to one of them who is the first in the line of five. He's a little odd looking with his flashy pink hair and odd sense of fashion, but the city has worse people. That is for sure.

I listen for a few more minutes before turning off the projector with the red button. I only catch a glimpse of the second and third sets of the rebels. Two people stick out the most in the second group; a young girl with her blond hair up in two pony tails and a sword on her right hip. She can't be any more than my age. The second is even smaller, and probably even younger. She's only four feet and has a hint of teal in her hair.

In the third set of five there is a woman who bared a striking resemblance to Yukimi. Her blond hair is pulled up in a ponytail behind her head and her glasses sit on the bridge of her nose. She wears a long white lab coat, similar to the one that I saw the Trackers wear when I was being bathed. She only sticks out for those features though. There is only one other who catches my attention. He's a little taller than me, but his name is the only one I pay much attention to for some reason.

"_Tsukasa Kodo" _Is written under his feet. I can't read and before the projector is turned off his name is said. I don't hear the rest of the names.

The projector spits out more dust at me before fully turning off. It makes me cough some more and I go back to the bed.

I look around my room, and sure enough, I see a very tiny hole in the wall, smaller than the others. That's where the camera is. They have to keep eyes on me, to make sure I don't break out or to make sure I drown when they fill the room with water.

How typical. They can't trust me.

Oh god, even I'm rolling my eyes at myself.

There's a knock on my cell door. I stand up quickly to see the window slide open. A pair of eyes looks in and the window shuts again. The loud clanking of the locks is heard and then the door opens.

There stands Thobari.

"Food," He says and drops a tray on the side of my bed. I look to see what it is: a bowl of... Uh... Goop? A small plate with brown rice and a cup. There is a set of chopsticks lying next to them.

I scoot closer to the food. Looking at it, it doesn't look all that appetizing, but it's better than nothing. The cup, however, is empty.

"Eat it." Thobari says and shuts the door. I look at the food a little longer and then I get up and knock on the door. There is a moment of quiet, but then the little window is opened. "What is it?"

"I'm not hungry." I say.

"So?" Thobari grumbles.

"I don't want it." I say and press my cup against the window.

"Look, I know it's not good food like the crap you've been eating in the forest, but it is food. Eat it." He demands.

"I don't want it." I say, totally disregarding what he's said.

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" He asks.

"Give it to Yoite." I order. "He can use the extra helping." I knock the cup against the window a couple of times.

"Extra helping?" Thobari questions. "You don't get it, do you?" He asks.

"Get what?"

"You're the only one being fed; Shinrabansou's orders. The other one has been given special orders."

"Special orders? The hell does that mean?" I ask, my eyes flaring at the fact he can't say Yoite's name. He says, _'the other one.'_

"No food or water for three days." Thobari closes the panel over the glass window.

I'm now standing against the dark door, my eyes wide, my breath cold, my hair standing on end.

No food or water? But... But you can't survive that long without food and water. Food is an easier issue, but not water. And because Yoite's sick, that just makes things even worse. He'll starve to death or die of dehydration. What if they decide to give him water by filling his room with it?

No...

"No!" I bang my bloody fist against the door again.

I can't let that happen. I won't allow it.

I start pacing back and forth in my room, looking for something to create a plan in my head. The only thing of use to me is the blanket. They're watching my every move.

And then I get my idea.

I grab my blanket and the empty cup and go to the sink not far from my bed.

I turn the nozzle until water spurts out. At first it's a dark red color, but after a few minutes, it's clear. During this few minutes, my eyes have caught attention to the mirror. Though the glass has been broken and the shards stick out, I see myself.

My real self. The one I remember as a baby. The little boy who didn't have a care in the world.

Hana had made my hair as short as it was as a baby. The dirt is gone. My green eyes are the most striking feature on my face.

I'm mortified. Their plan is working. I begin to think: look what they've done for me... It's a roof over my head, food every day, water, clean clothes, a clean body and a bed to sleep in with a blanket and pillow and a projector to lull me to sleep every night. This is the most stable my life has been in a long time.

The reflection in the mirror... I look like my mother. I have everything about her, nothing of my father. My mind flashes back to my mother on the throne, watching people suffer...

... No...

That wasn't my mother. That was Kotaro. He did this.

Murdered my family, destroyed the once great nation of Japan and sent millions of people into war and even more onto the streets to fend for themselves.

This isn't stability. This is cruelty. This is hell!

The water begins to overflow, leaking from the sink to the carpet. I feel the cold start to splash against my feet and hands, and this snaps me back to reality.

I clench my fist together and finish what the last person did. I punch the mirror. The shards of glass fall fast, and my only injury is a scratch to the outside of my palm.

I take my cup of water and fill it. I begin to drink in a lot of water and do this two or more three times. Being dehydrated helps me suppress all of this water, but after a minute, I can feel my own stomach extending from the water. I turn the water off and toss the cup to the floor. I move back to my bed with my blanket and begin to fiddle with the blanket.

I begin to tie a noose, similar to the one they had me in. I'm copying the knot they had me in a while ago. With a blanket, it's not easy because it's much thicker than the rope they had around my neck. It's all I have though. It'll have to do.

Because I plan to hang myself.

I'm hoping they're watching. I hope to god they are. If they are, they will stop me before brain damage sets in. This will give me a chance to get out of my cell. I can find out where they're keeping Yoite. Then I can start formulating a plan to get us out of here.

I look up around the room for something high enough to hang the rope from. There isn't much. The only thing I see is the grating of a ventilation shaft. That'll have to do I guess.

I yank the small table from the wall and pull it under the grating. I stand on the table, cautious of the lack of stability it had. It wobbles under my feet as I loop my make-shift noose through the grating and tie it securely.

I wait at least a minute. If they are watching, I want to give them time to come get me and stop me. I drape the noose over my head and shoulders, and let it sit there around my head. I take one last heavy breath.

I hope they're watching. If not...

I close my eyes and I picture the first time I saw Yoite: those blue eyes, that pale skin, his thin body hidden beneath his heavy black jacket.

This is my only way to get out and save him.

"I wouldn't do that." My eyes snap open to the voice I hear. It's Yoite's voice. Do I miss him so much I can hear his voice as clear as day? No, that _was_ as clear as day. I did hear him. He's not in my cell, so where is he?

I pause before looking up. There behind the metal grating are Yoite's blue eyes and bright smile.

"Yoite!" I cry. The table wobbles under me and I get rid of the noose before I actually do something I'm going to regret.

"Hi Miharu." He says.

"H-How did you get in there?" I ask.

"They have vents in these rooms. They're all connected." He explains. I jump down from the table and watch as Yoite's hand slips through the grating. In his hand is my missing pocket knife. "They're really stupid." He says with a small laugh. Oh how I missed his laugh.

"My knife... Where did you find that?" I ask.

"In your pants; I kept it until you were ready to leave, but..." Yoite slips away from the sentence as he begins to remove the screws holding the grating up. After a few minutes, all the screws are gone and the latch falls to the floor.

Yoite slips from the ventilation shaft and drops onto the table. He carefully drops down and grounds himself. His feet are planted firmly on the ground and he looks up at me and smiles.

"Yoite..." I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Yeah," I mumble. I'm a little too stunned to say anymore. I'm looking him over to make sure he is okay. I'm not worried about my well-being at the moment.

Yoite reaches down and grabs at my hands. I blush, but I realize he's looking at the blood all along my hands from my incessant pounding and my breaking the mirror. He then sees how I smeared the blood along the front of my shirt.

"I'm okay. It's only because I was trying to get out." He looks over my hands carefully, not believing what I said.

"We'll have to wrap these up. I don't want them getting infected." He says very seriously.

I look up at him to see his face so close to mine. With his hair clean and still damp, without his hat in the way, his eyes are staring full force at me. His strong gaze makes me shiver.

"Miharu, what were you doing?" He asks. I don't get it at first until I realize he means about me trying to hang myself.

"I-I was hoping they were watching me with the security cameras. So when I tried to kill myself, they'd come and stop me, then I'd..." I pause, noticing his gaze getting sterner by the minute. "So then I could get you out..." I finish the rest in a small whisper.

"... Don't be so reckless..." He mumbles. "If you get hurt... What am I going to do?" He asks. I shake my head. I don't get what he means by that.

"Besides, while I was in the ventilation, I yanked all of the cords for the security cameras. If they weren't working before, they sure aren't working now." He says.

I feel a ghost of a chill go down my spine. Without him, I could have died.

"We should go. They'll notice the cameras aren't working and will be here soon." He says. He turns to leave back through the ventilation shaft. His hand slip away from mine and I feel like I'm sinking.

"Wait!" I grab his hand to keep him from moving. He looks back at me with a look of surprise before I push him backwards. His back hits against the wall behind him and I am pressing against him before he can even regain breath.

I press my mouth against his and tangle my hands into his hair.

My body feels feverish, like being away from him has made me sick and I have to do this. Also, if, god forbid, this is my last personal moment with Yoite, I want to get as much out of it as I can. With thoughts that we could be interrupted at any second, I know I can't do much, so I put as much force into this one kiss as I can.

He shivers under me before wrapping his arms around me and holding me close. A hand goes to hold the back of my head and his other hand touches my waist. My fever, instead of going away like I hoped, seems to be getting worse. I can feel my face burning with a blush and my desire clouding my better judgment. With a massive force of effort I pull away from him. I'm gasping for air and I have to try really hard to keep myself from kissing him again.

Yoite looks like he's been slapped across the face. His expression is a mix of surprise, stark fear, utter confusion and tepid comfort. His face is probably as red as mine, though I don't know how terrible I look. He's breathing as bad as I am and I can feel him squeezing the side of my waist and the back of my head.

"W-We should go before they come down here." He looks away with a blush on his face.

"Yeah..." I mumble. I back up to offer Yoite room. He stumbles forward to the table like he's drunk, but quickly regains his footing. He then gets into the vent like it's not a problem. He reaches down for me and I climb onto the table and grab his hand.

This isn't like climbing a tree or hill. Besides Yoite's hand, there's nothing to hold onto. I end up nearly pulling him out to get myself up, which takes a few tries. By the fifth, I'm finally up and in the ventilation shaft with him.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I have a funny story for you guys before I go. Okay, so when I was writing this I was preparing for graduation. Our principal was going on about how life was going to change and yada ya. I was still sick because I had studied so hard for finals that I didn't sleep and I barely ate (I was that much of a wreck for about a week X'D) and so since I hadn't slept well the night before and I seriously just couldn't care less. I'm not one to do stuff like ignore him or act like a complete asshole when someone is giving a speech, but I was so not in the mood and I really had not a care in the world at the moment. I was graduating and that was all that mattered for me. XD So, while I was writing the part about Miharu about to hang himself, my principal goes, "And this is a moment in your life where you want to cherish the things you have. You've all worked so hard..." And while he's giving this speech I stopped writing so I could laugh because here I am writing a seriously depressing moment and he's going on about how wonderful life is going to get. XD After that I stopped writing and listened because I couldn't do anything without laughing really hard. XD Alright, I'm done story telling. XD**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Oh my gosh you guys! We reached 40 reviews! Thank you so much! You don't know how awesome that is for me! :D Thank you so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so much! Also, two more chapters to go after this one! Yay! More character progress! XD Don't cha love it? Not much to say today. I'm really thankful for my followers and reviews. I'm so glad to see most of the same screen names popping up and then some new ones at the same time. But I'll save my speech for when this arc is finished. XD This chapter is short, but the next one is too... Bad short chapters. e_e**

**-Misty**

* * *

**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 10: Escape**

* * *

"This way," Yoite says and starts to crawl forward. I follow him, though I'm hesitant. It's really dusty and somehow foggy. It's hard to see far ahead, but I trust Yoite to be my eyes for me.

I try to be as quiet as I can while crawling. In the vents, all the sounds are amplified. It sounds like we're a herd of elephants. I wonder if it's the same out there.

Would someone hear us if we went by?

After what feels like hours of crawling, he finally stops and points down through another open air vent. He puts a finger to his lips, motioning me to be quiet. I quietly crawl next to him and look down through the grating.

"So what do you think about the new convicts?" A female voice asks. I back away for a moment, fear hitting me before I peek through again.

"This bunch has a lot of will power. They fought until they were pulled into cells." A male voice says.

I see only two people. They both look young, one younger than both of us. Her hair is long, down to her hips, and it's white. She's very small, half the height of the boy who seems to be taller than me. He's got white hair too, but it's short and almost feather-like. His eyes are red, hidden behind a pair of glasses that sit on his nose.

They aren't in Tracker outfits; they are in normal everyday clothes. They look like a couple of kids you would see walking down the street. Normal. Well, except for the white hair.

"True. They held out for so long. It is _almost_ a pity that they got caught." The girl says while twiddling her hair between her fingers.

"Bite your tongue, Shijima! They deserved what they got." The boy says.

"Oh no doubt about that. I'm only saying it was kind of fun to have such a rebellion within these walls. It makes people panic." Shijima says.

"Well, I guess it's better than the normal." The boy says. They begin walking forward. I look to Yoite, remembering the projector showing me pictures of the rebels. Was she talking about the ones I saw on the projector? If so, they must be something to get the government scared.

We wait a couple of seconds, listening to the footsteps disappear. I watch through the grating until I feel they are really gone. Yoite moves away for a moment to grab some wires sticking out through the metal wall. He pulls and I can hear something click. It happens a few times, but then stops.

"The cameras should be off. Let's go." Yoite says. I smile and nod my head in understanding. Yoite pulls out my pocket knife and does the same thing as he did before. He unscrews each bolt that's holding up the metal. This one is loose though and falls before he can even pull his hand back. It falls to the floor with a loud clank.

"I hope no one heard that." Yoite whispers. He slips through the opening carefully and drops down silently. I watch him look back and forth a couple of times before holding out his arms to me. "It's safe, come on."

I drop down, his waiting arms catching me. I cling to his neck a little before he puts me down. I let go, lingering to see his face. His eyes are looking ahead however.

This is another moment that happens too fast. I see his eyes widen, and when I turn around to see what's shocked him, I get a sharp pain across my face. I fall to the floor and cover my face with my hands as blood begins to seep through my fingers. I hear Yoite call my name desperately, but then I hear more voices.

"And just when things were getting boring." A female voice says. I lift my head and peak through my tightly closed eyes to see four people there. The two white-haired teens are there, but now there are two more. One has long hair, yet he's a boy. The other has short hair, but she's a girl. These two are twins.

Yoite comes up behind me and lifts me in his arms. He moves my hands out of the way to look at the gash across my face and I can see the fear in his eyes. It must be as bad as it feels.

"Are you okay?" He asks with panic. I nod my head, but I'm far from being okay. I'm in so much pain and I'm already dizzy. I can feel the collar of my shirt (technically their shirt) already drenched in my blood.

"Rokujo Miharu..." The male twin says. Yoite lifts me back to my feet and holds me up. I can hear him panting though, so I know he's already out of energy. He lifts his hand and points a finger at the four, but nothing happens. I can tell he's only trying to threaten them.

"Miharu, come to the sound of my clapping hands." The boy begins to clap and his sister follows him.

"Leave the shinagami." The sister says. "His time will be up soon. Why stay with someone who only takes and takes? Especially when it is your life he takes." She asks.

I feel Yoite tighten his arm around my waist. I can't tell if it's because of what they're saying or because I'm losing the energy to stand straight. It's probably both.

My blood is boiling though. It's not a good thing when I'm losing blood, but I can't help it. _Shinagami?_ Did they really just call him that?

The one I remember as Shijima, the short one with long white hair, steps forward. Her eyes are glued to Yoite, who hasn't let his hand fall yet.

"The forbidden technique that eats away at your life," She says in a questioning tone. Yoite's words ring in my head again.

A technique... That eats your life? Is this what has made Yoite sick?

"What does it feel like to be heading towards death?" She asks. I gasp in surprise. I stand in front of Yoite, clutching my injured head while I block him from these tantalizing people. "Does death inspire fear in you?" She asks.

I feel Yoite trying to push me out of the way, but I stop him and lower his hand.

"No, Yoite don't. They aren't worth it." I whisper.

"Or does death give you hope?" Shijima persists. I grit my teeth in irritation. Everyone just seems to be going after Yoite today. "If you mastered the Kira technique willingly, then that means you willingly accepted your own death, isn't that right?" She continues.

Yoite stumbles behind me, his arm falling to his side. I turn to him to see him fall onto his knees. I kneel down beside him, taking his face into my hands and accidentally smearing my blood on his face.

"Yoite, what's wrong?" I ask. Yoite cringes and lifts his hand. I feel my blood freeze at the sight of blood on his hand. I look down to see an open wound in his knee, bleeding profusely. I stare with fear at his blood.

When did this happen?

I press my hand against his wound. He protests, but I don't stop. I keep the pressure on it to keep it from bleeding any more than it is.

"Is there something you want to protect that is more precious to you than your own life? Or do you long for death itself?" She steps forward a little, much too close for my comfort, and says this. She goes quiet and lifts her arm, inevitably having the large and baggy sleeve of her shirt slip down her arm. I'm surprised to see claw like devices attached to both of her hands. She pulls those claws up to her face and brushes her hair back.

"No. That leaves unanswered questions. If you're saying you want to disappear, isn't that the same as saying that you want to avoid death instead?" She asks.

Yoite visibly shakes from her comment and points his finger in their direction. I don't have time to stop him before he shoots at them, but they all get out of the way anyway. I quickly sling Yoite's arm over my shoulders and try lifting him from the ground, but I'm so dizzy that he's in better condition than I am.

The four of them circle around us, trapping us in a box. They all have their weapons pulled out; ready to kill us within the blink of an eye. I get the idea in my head that they won't kill me. Torture yes, but kill, I don't think so. Yoite is a different story entirely. They weren't feeding him, so what would want them to keep him alive?

Absolutely nothing.

"This doesn't have to end so badly, Miharu." The boy with white hair says. I look back at him and glare, but I see something I don't see on the others. In his red eyes, hidden away by those glasses, I can see worry. I shake my head and look away, thinking that maybe I've seen things wrong.

The two twins lunge at us. Without knowing what the other two are doing behind me, I move to the side as fast as I can, pulling Yoite along with me. I miss, but they are fast, and the girl, who is the closest to me, throws a punch. She doesn't miss. I move as fast as I can in front of Yoite to take the blunt of the impact, but I'm sure I was her target and not him.

Yoite finally pushes himself off of me. I look at him with surprise, but I can see the energy slowly coming back to him after his moment of respite. He balances against me, still a little wobbly, but it's better than nothing.

The male twin goes after him. Yoite misses a deliberate punch and gets hit in the gut. I try to help, but I'm pushed back against a cell door by the girl.

I can already tell what they are doing. They are separating us into corners, keeping us apart. I get a moment to look over to Yoite to see Shijima joining the male twin and taking on Yoite. The guy with white hair joins us over here.

"Let's make this quick, alright?" He says. I can't help but get the feeling that he doesn't want to fight and is trying to avoid it, but when I see him pull a kunai out from some mysterious place, I toss my suspicions out the window.

The twin steps back, letting him have his chance at me. He lunges at me and I jump out of the way. I barely have time to catch my footing when he throws his kunai down at my head. I grab at his arm and push back, but the tip of the kunai hits my head.

I grunt as I push against him, but he is very strong. He pushes me backwards while I still have a grip on him. I feel a cold cell touch my back again and I panic. He's got me cornered again.

"Look how the mighty have fallen!" The sister calls, her voice laced with laughter. I break eye contact with this white-haired assassin and look to where Yoite is. He's on the ground, getting the air kicked out of him by the brother. The girl, Shijima, is simply standing there, doing absolutely nothing. My blood boils in anger.

I look back to this boy and push with all of the energy I have left. It doesn't seem to faze him. His red eyes stare at me with incorrigible focus. I scream, though I don't know why, and move his arm as far away from my head as I can.

I gasp for breath, but this guy isn't giving up. He's so strong. I can still feel blood dripping down my head from my open wounds. I'm weak. I have to think of something though, anything. My arms are trying to keep this guy from doing serious damage. I'm against a cold cell door. It's getting harder to breathe. My eye sight is getting fuzzy. My legs are getting weak and-

"We're on your side." He whispers. My eyes widen when I see the change on his face; more serious, but with the tinniest of smiles that one wouldn't see unless it was fully directed at them. He starts to loosen his strength on me, but not by much.

"Wha-"

"We want to help you, Miharu. Shijima and I." He whispers again.

I look back to Yoite. He isn't moving. The two have finished with him and are now making their way over to us.

If this is his way of helping us, it sucks.

"Come on, Kouichi; stop playing with your food." Shijima says soothingly, her fingers twiddling between each strand of her hair again.

The boy she's called Kouichi moves the kunai, but then pushes me to the ground without much effort. It's almost like all of that struggling I just did was him playing with me, feigning weakness to me. It was like he was just playing a game, and with the instructions from Shijima, he stopped the game.

I hit the ground hard, only getting a moment to get my act together before I look up.

Everything goes black.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Oh my gosh you guys! One more chapter to go! :D I'm so excited! I want to say thank you for all of the reviews~ (Yet again. XD) And well... That's about it for me. XD**

**Ja ne!**

**-Misty**

* * *

**Misfortunes**

**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 11: Death is the Final Unknown**

* * *

It's dark, but my eyes are open. I want to move to look around at my surroundings, but I'm so nauseous. My head feels heavy and so does the rest of my body. I haven't felt this bad since I was with Yoite at his place.

"Yoite," I call out. I don't get a response from Yoite. My voice sounds scratchy and terrible again. I distantly wonder if all that happened was just a dream, if I had gone completely insane and I imagined the whole thing, but no. I feel a cold ground under me. I can smell that lemon cleaner scent and a small sample of blood, probably mine.

Where am I?

I finally begin to push myself up, slowly at first so I don't make myself sick. I get onto my arms and knees and take long, deep breaths. Even though I can't see and it's dark, I can still feel the world spinning around me and the floor sliding out from under me.

"Yoite," I say a little louder, trying to get a response. Still I get nothing.

I force myself into a sitting position even though I feel like I'm about to see the slop they gave me earlier. I push myself up to sit on my knees and sigh, letting nausea run over me rapidly. Slowly, it dies, but it's still threatening me.

I squint my eyes and look around; I can see shapes forming, though they're only shadows and are blurred profusely.

"Yoite!" I yell as loud as my voice can get. In my state, it isn't much. I start to turn slowly, hoping to see him. He isn't here, but now that I look around, this place is starting to look familiar.

"You aren't going to find him, Miharu." Lights are turned on, suddenly blinding me. I cover my eyes with my arm and to my pleasure my eyes are quick to adjust to the light

I look past my arm to see Kotaro at his throne, his greedy eyes on me, watching as I back up a few paces.

"You won't find him here, at least, not yet anyway." He says, his hand carelessly brushing his bangs.

"Monster..." I hiss. "Where is he? Where is Yoite?" I demand.

"Relax Miharu. I have someone _taking care_ of him right now." He says. I don't like how he says that. It's like he's implying something.

"Answer me god damn it!" I bark.

"You're so hasty to act. If you tried to make a list of the hasty things you did in your life, Miharu, it'd be a long list. Trying to hang yourself would be on there..." He muses and stands. He walks over to me with a soft footfall, his gown flowing at his feet. "Or when you tried breaking free of the wire in the truck..." He begins to walk around me, a hand leisurely touching my hair and brushing it back.

I smack his hand away as he leans down to my ear.

"Or when you began to kiss that boy for the first time..." He whispers, his lips against the shell of my ear. I freeze.

He saw that. He saw us.

"... You've... You've been watching us..." I murmur. My voice wavers in fear and horror.

He's been watching us all this time...

"I've been watching you for a long time now, my Miharu... You and that boy..." He lifts me up by the arm and I let him do it. My legs are shaking terribly and I feel as if my whole body has gone completely numb. I can't stand on my own anymore.

He pulls me back so I am resting against him and he brushes my bangs from my face gently, almost like a loving relative or friend would.

"That boy… What a lost soul he is... His family rejected him-"

No... He didn't want me to know.

"Stop-"

"They hated his meaningless existence and tried to be rid of him themselves... Even his own brother hated him."

I want to struggle. I want to run. I want to scream, but I can't. I open my mouth repeatedly, but nothing wants to come out. Tears begin to pool together in my eyes, blinding and burning them. My throat swells up and it's hard to swallow let alone breathe.

"I watched when you met..." He whispers. "I watched as you got caught in his trap. I watched as he dragged you to the retched hut he calls home and took care of you. I watched as he stole from the caravan and used the medicine to save your life."

"Stop..." I feel the tears spill down my cheeks.

This torture. This pain. It's all familiar. I can almost hear _her_ voice in my ears.

"I watched..." He pushes hair from my ear and presses his lips to the shell of my ear again. "As you thanked him with your body..."

"Stop it..."

Why am I so scared? Is it the reality that even hidden from the city I was always watched? Was it the reality that Yoite and I were never safe?

"Please stop it..." I try to fall to my knees, but he keeps me up. The tears are still falling down my face and I can't cover my eyes because he has my hands together between his larger hands.

"Stop what, Miharu? All I am doing is speaking the truth." He says. "And I've never lied a day in my life."

He's just like _her._

"No... No it's not..." I don't know what I'm trying to say myself. "J-Just stop... Please..." I whimper.

"What...? I cannot hear you." He says. I swallow down a painful dry lump. I'm breaking.

"I-I said stop... Please..." I sob. "I'm begging you..." I cry.

"Oh Miharu..." He turns me back around and pulls me back to his chest. He cradles my head to his shoulder and rocks me like a child. "It's alright my boy. Everything will be alright." He coos.

I break. I suddenly give in. I wrap my arms around him and sob.

I'm so tired. I can't take this anymore. I want it all to end like he says. In the back of my mind, I'm being told that this is all a trap. It's his way of gaining control over me so I will bend to his will... But I can't stop myself.

I'm so tired.

"I can make it all go away, Miharu." He whispers. I shake my head. I want to kill him, but I'm sobbing too violently to do it. "Miharu... Would you like this pain to go away?" He asks.

I nod my head. I desperately want it. I desire it. I crave it with a passion stronger than anything I've felt.

"Do you want to know how to get rid of it?" He asks. I nod again.

He lets go of me and bends down on his knees. He's a little lower than my eye level, but none the less he brushes the tears from my cheeks. He looks at me with a warming yet creepy smile and places his hands on my shoulders.

"My boy... I have been around for a long time now... Longer than people realize. My body, despite how I look, is old and broken. I'm falling apart." He says weakly.

Here it comes...

"But there is a solution. A solution you can take into your own hands."

Any second now...

"I will die... It is inevitable. But when I die, you can take my place."

There it is.

That wall that crumbled is being reinforced again. I remember what it was he was doing in the first place. He's trying to break me.

"No..." I mumble.

"Yes, Miharu... I have heard her speak. She says only one person can be her next barer. _You._ You can become the Nabari No Ou." He says. I shake my head and try to pull away, but he still has a firm grip on my shoulders.

I can feel it though. That hate. I feel it again. It's making my muscles wake up.

"I-I can't... I was told it was wrong!" I say bitterly. Kotaro frowns, not happy with my answer.

"All this pain will be gone, Miharu. You can control the world! Use your hatred to do whatever your heart deems fit!" His voice has become a dull roar.

"No!" I yell.

"You will!" His voice rises.

"No! You can't make me!" I yell and pull on my arms for freedom.

He suddenly grips them so hard that I feel like he could break my arms. He spins me around until I face a door where a guard is standing. To be more correct, it's the guard from before. It's Yukimi.

"Bring him in." Kotaro says from behind me. Yukimi nods his head and the large doors open. I watch in horror as Yoite is pulled along the floor by an arm. His body is completely limp and he isn't making a sound.

"Yoite!" I cry. I try to break free, but Kotaro's vice grip won't relax. "No, don't bring him into this!" I beg. I know he's alive because I can see him breathing, but he's not moving and is out cold. His face is battered and bruised and there is blood seeping down his right eye.

"You know what you must do." Kotaro says.

Yoite is lifted in Yukimi's arms, but he doesn't move. Yukimi holds him up with one arm while the other goes to pull a gun from his holster.

"No..." I whimper. I watch as Yukimi brings the gun to Yoite's head.

"No, no!" I cry. "Stop it please! Please don't do this!"

"You will become the Shinrabansou." Kotaro says. "But you must agree."

"No, no I can't!"

Yukimi flips the hammer of the gun.

"Stop! Shoot me! Shoot me instead but don't hurt him!" I beg.

"You can't die Miharu. I would never allow it." I try to claw my way from Kotaro, but he's stronger than I am. Yukimi begins to pull the trigger.

"No, no, no! Alright, I'll do it! I'll do whatever you want just don't kill him!" I cry.

The whole room goes silent. I can hear Kotaro smile from behind me and I can see Yukimi's face grimace.

"Good boy..." He says. Yoite is dropped to the floor. I wince when I hear the thud of his head against the concrete.

"You can't... Can't hurt him..." I whimper, dropping my head. Kotaro lets go of me and as soon as he does I bolt to Yoite's side.

I drop to the floor and roll him onto his back. I shake him and call his name, but he won't wake up.

"I don't tell a lie, Miharu." Kotaro says. "Do you see? Your decision will change humanity." He says, his arms rising up as if praying. I fall to Yoite and cling to his shoulders as I cry.

"Yoite... Yoite..." I repeat over and over. I feel the already weak pulse through the blood covered shirt they gave him.

Suddenly, things get quiet, quieter than they were a few seconds ago. I look up, seeing Kotaro still standing there.

Something isn't right.

There is blood coming out if his mouth. His neck is bleeding. My eyes widen as he tries to turn his head, but only manages an inch.

"Ah..." He groans. "You've finally done it..." He says with a dry and dead voice.

He then drops to the ground.

He's dead.

Behind him stands Thobari, a bloody dagger is in his left hand and his hands are soaked in blood. He is staring down at Kotaro's unmoving body with utter hatred.

"I am tired of your rules." He says. "I cannot allow that to happen to my Miharu."

Yoite stirs in my arms and I look down. I can see the tears fall from my eyes and drop to his face. The salty water clears a path through the blood on his face.

"Yoite..." I whimper, shaking his shoulders. I sob in borderline hysteria as I press my lips against his. I wait unnaturally still, but he doesn't move.

I look up to see Thobari and Yukimi standing over us. I look at them and want to speak, but I'm tired.

So... So tired.

There is a popping sound and a bright light, and for a moment I assume Yukimi has shot me.

Is this death?

* * *

**A/N: You know, I had my heart pounding when I was writing this. I felt I did really well with the scenes in this. Again it's a short chapter but the next is longer, I promise. ^_^ Until next week! :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: LET THERE BE LIGHT! XD Alright everybody, the last chapter! While many things are answered, there are other things left in the dark. Why? Well you'll have to wait for arc two to release. :3**

* * *

**Misfortunes**

**Summary:**

**Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.**

**Chapter 12: Shinrabansou (final chapter)**

* * *

I open my eyes tiredly to a bright light above me. At first I assume it's either the bright shine to the gates of heaven or the bright light of flames to hell. Then I see figures looming over me. I blink a few times to clear my vision of fog until I begin to see details.

Three people are above me. I recognize one all too well.

"Yoite…!" I reach up and grab Yoite's shoulders. He grunts at impact when I pull him down to my chest. I can hear a small laugh come from him, but it's tired and weak.

"M-Miharu, you're hurting me a little." He mumbles. I let go and watch as he sits up. He holds out a hand for me and I take it with delight. He pulls me to sit up and I immediately relax against him. I don't even realize how nauseous I am.

"Yoite..." I sigh.

"Are you okay, Miharu?" He asks.

"Better now." I say into the crook of his neck. I hear the sound of someone clearing their throat and look to see Yukimi and Thobari still standing there. I quickly push Yoite back and guard him with my arms.

"**Back off!**" I say and they quickly do as told.

"Kid, calm down," Yukimi says with his hands up in defense.

"Miharu, it's alright." Thobari says.

I feel Yoite touch my shoulder and look back. His blue eyes are looking at me with an almost deafening gaze, but I look away. I lower my arms to my side, letting myself relax and drop my guard.

"Miharu, it's okay." Yoite says.

"He tried to kill you!" I bark. I don't mean to rush and yell like I am, but I can't help it.

"I know, but only because Kotaro said to." He explains.

Remembering the sadistic man, I turn my head to see Kotaro's lifeless body on the ground in a pool of his own blood. His body looks different though. It looks mangled like some wild animal got to him. I look back to Thobari who had washed away the evidence from his hands at some point.

I look back at Yoite with a frown.

"I don't understand... What's going on?" I ask. Yoite stands up his legs a little shaky as he puts more and more weight on them. He lifts me by the arm, but with the extra weight he stumbles and I catch him.

I can already feel my anxiety sweeping away with being by Yoite again.

"Kotaro was dying." Thobari says. "Not many people have the... _Audacity_ to hold the Shinrabansou within their bodies. He was looking for someone who could. Of course he thought why not the person who did it before?" Thobari explains.

I nod my head, understanding a little of what was going on.

"Well... We both had something worth protecting." Yukimi mumbles.

I glare over at him. I'm still not happy with him.

Yoite tugs on my hand and I look at him. He seems tired, like he's just barely clinging onto awareness.

"Miharu... Yukimi was on medical leave from work when he was asked to watch me." He mumbles.

I looked at Yoite and then to Yukimi in surprise. It's shocking to hear Yoite willingly admit to something about his past, but still, that's how they know each other.

"A friend of Yukimi's needed someone to watch me, someone who could do it without a conflict with work..."

"I had an injury with my left shoulder and half of my arm so I was on a medical leave without pay. Of course being a Tracker you can't have kids, but since I wasn't working I could do it for the time being. No one really knew though." He pointed to Yoite as he spoke.

"My friend brought this little piss ass a few days after my release from the hospital. He kept begging me for help so... So I helped, alright kid? Ya get it?" He suddenly burst into irritation.

I look at Yoite who didn't seem too happy by the memories resurfacing in his head.

"I was fourteen when he took me in..." He murmurs.

"So you left him in the forest?" I ask sharply, still not happy with the story.

"Yeah I did." Yukimi says, his hands resting on his hips. "I left him two miles from where I was stationed near the trade routes so I could get him things from the caravan!" Yukimi barks.

I let my eyes soften up on him. So all this time he defied the laws of the city, letting death be at his doorstep every day so he could take care of Yoite. That's how Yoite knew about the Trackers and the trading route. It's probably how he even knew about all of the traps and the area he stayed in.

It all made sense to me now.

I tug on Yoite's arm until he lifts his head up to me. When I could see his face, I press a soft kiss to the side of his mouth. I meant to kiss his lips, but it wasn't possible in our position.

"Gross," Yukimi grumbles and scratches his forehead with the butt of his gun.

I huff at him and do it again, feeling Yoite kiss me back and I smirk when I hear Yukimi start calling us brats.

"Miharu-" Thobari starts but stops. I look at him and he begins to shake his head a little. "Don't-... D-Don't do that." He says.

"And why should I trust you?" I ask.

Thobari seems taken aback by my question. He almost seems hurt along with surprised by it. He looks at Yukimi, as if looking for an explanation from him before looking back at me. He sighs and rubs the back of his neck with his clean hands.

"It was so long ago... I didn't think you would remember, but I can't blame you." He says.

"Remember what?" I ask.

"Hey, not to change the subject here but uh..." Yukimi chimes in. I let Thobari free of my gaze who lets out a sigh of relief in return.

I stood up straight, with the aid of Yoite's help and went back to holding him up. He looks down at me and smiles that warm and addicting smile.

"We've spent enough time with this lovey dovey crap." Yukimi says. Thobari clears his throat and nods his head.

"Yeah. You should have been gone by now." Thobari said, wiping his eyes.

"Gone where?" I ask.

"Gone; out of this building, out of this city!" Yukimi says in exasperation.

"It won't be long until Kotaro is found. You need to be out of this city now." Thobari says and begins to push Yoite and I forward. He pushes us past Kotaro's body to his throne.

Behind it is a trap door.

"Stay close to us. This is an escape route for the bastard in case something bad was to happen." Yukimi says. He opens the door and climbs down into the dark hole. I help Yoite down and then sink down into the hole. Thobari follows after us and shuts the door behind us.

Yukimi turns a flashlight on so we can see. It's just a long and cramped hallway, but if this is the way out, I won't complain.

I tug Yoite with me as we walk. This walk takes about ten minutes of us nearly running and by the end, Yoite is practically slumping to the floor. He is panting heavily and most of his weight is against me now.

"I'm sorry I'm so heavy..." Yoite mumbles.

"It's okay." I say, although I'm a little tired too and I don't sound to convincing. Not to the serious degree as Yoite is, but enough to be panting myself.

"Alright; from out of this door, keep heading straight and turn right when you see the wall. There's an area of the wall being repaired and isn't heavily guarded. In fact there shouldn't be anyone there." Yukimi says.

"If you want to be really careful, wait ten more minutes until you hear the alarm going off through the city. All of the guards will leave their posts. Get through the opening in the wall and run like hell. Don't stop, not even for a minute." Thobari says.

I nod my head in understanding, although I don't know how far Yoite can go at this point. I look at him and he nods his head. I can see in his eyes, though, that he doubts the plan himself.

"Alright, move it you two." Yukimi instructs harshly. He holds a hand out and takes Yoite from me. Thobari has to use some force before he pushes the door open. The hinges squeak and groan loudly and I squint my eyes when the light from outside hits my face. Thobari looks around outside the door and then motions for me to come through.

I cautiously slip through and look around. This is a thinner part of the city. People who live their lives off of poverty to survive reside here. It makes me sick that ten minutes away from the Global Edifice resides all of these poor innocent people.

"Alright you two stay close together and keep your eyes on the ground." Yukimi warns. "I ain't kidding neither." He says.

"We can't go any further." Thobari says. I look back at him and Yukimi in surprise. "In order to give you guys help in the future, we have to stay alive. We have to keep suspicions as low as possible." He explains as if reading my mind.

Yoite has no choice but to stand on his own, but he manages. I take his hand in my own, though.

Yukimi did tell us to stay together.

The door shuts behind us and we are left alone.

I realize as we walk down the streets that we must look like we're coming back from war. It's not too far off either. Yoite and I are covered in blood. Some of it is mine from the head injury on my forehead. Then I have a few of my own scratches and cuts from being beaten up. Most of the blood, however, is his from the wound on his head, but I got it on myself when holding him. Yoite has bruises all over his face too.

We must look like some sort of road-side circus.

As we walk, the wall begins to come into sight. Yoite begins to stray from the path we're on. I follow with Yoite close next to me. We begin to try and blend in by walking near some buildings. One is an old bar with some terribly frightening and suspicious looking men. Yoite let's go of my hand and pulls me by the hip against him. It startles me at first because this is the first time Yoite's done something like this. I'm not complaining of course. Just a little surprised.

Yoite keeps me very close. We get a few odd states. Some stares we get seem like life threatening glares. Yoite glares back just as intensely, as if saying, _"Give me a reason."_

We walk past the building and Yoite pushes me backwards. I gasp in surprise but see that he's pushed us both into a little alcove. There's a bunch of old ply wood pushed up against the building. The wood is a splintery, old, yellow color, and rotted slightly with old age. It's sparse too. It isn't much cover, but it's keeping us hidden away from anyone walking by.

"Do you see the wall there?" Yoite asks and points to the wall of the city. I look and see it and the next thing I notice is the giant hole in the wall being repaired. I can see what Yukimi and Thobari were talking about. It's perfect to escape through. "I guess that's where we're going."

Yoite slumps down onto the ground with his back against the wall of the old bar. He sighs and rubs his discolored hands against his forehead, wiping away some blood. I drop to my knees next to him and touch his head near the wound. The bleeding is slower and I can see how deep and long of a wound it is. It could easily get infected and Yoite could die of blood loss or Sepsis if not covered soon.

"How bad is it?" He asks.

"N-Not bad." I lie. My voice shakes and he can see right through my lie. He looks at me with a small smirk and chuckles. "What's so funny?" I ask.

"After all you've been through you still worry more about my wellbeing more than yours." He mumbles.

"I can't help it..." I reach down and take one of Yoite's hands into my own. It feels right like this, to hold his hand. Things have been so hectic that I've missed this so much. I know it hasn't been long, but it feels like it's been forever to me.

A question arises in my mind. I look to Yoite and then to the wall of the city being fixed. I look back to him and give his hand a little squeeze.

"Hey... Where are we going to go?" I ask. Yoite looks off into the distance, his gaze worried. That was something he hadn't thought about, and if he had at some point, he didn't think of the answer just yet.

"What are we going to do now?" I ask. He doesn't seem to have an answer for that either.

_'We're running from the city... We can't go back home... What do we do now?'_ I ask myself. I don't voice my thoughts.

I lean forward and kiss just to the side of Yoite's wound. He looks up at me, a little surprised by it. He looks at my lips which have his blood on them and frowns.

"Sorry..." He whispers.

I open my mouth to speak, to tell him he's done nothing wrong, but we hear a siren burst through the city. I look up to sky, listening to the booming sound, and then I hear the screams of random people.

"That must be for us." I say. Yoite stands and pulls me up. He looks past me to the wall where the only guard stationed there leaves his post. He runs right past the tavern, giving us our chance.

"Come on," Yoite takes my hand and bolts forward. I gasp with the sudden speed but keep up with him. We run to the wall where the hole is and Yoite looks around first.

"Go on," I say. I can still hear faint screams of people in the distance. I know this won't last long.

Yoite slips in first, being very careful not to brush the jagged edges. I follow next. I'm smaller so it's easier for me to slip through. We both move through the hole of the thick wall until we make it back to the outside world.

I follow Yoite and instantly the smell of fresh air hits me when I'm out. There's a cold chill from the shadow of the wall. The ground is wet with dew and it's so quiet. The siren inside the city is barely heard on the other side of the wall.

"Alright, let's go." I say.

I take Yoite's hand and we begin to run, just like we were instructed to do. We run as fast as we can and as hard as we can. We run through the thick of the forest and over branches and holes in the ground. We occasionally pass by traps; Yoite keeps me close to him to make sure I don't run into any.

I don't know how long we run, but it feels like forever. We run for so long we get into an area I don't know of. The terrain gets flatter and the trees become scarce. It also begins to rain. The trees that are around shelter us from the rain some, but not by a lot. I'm glad it's not heavy rain.

Eventually even I'm out of breath. The air is getting colder, the ground is getting muddy and it's hard to run in. I can hear Yoite practically wheezing at this point.

"Let's stop!" I say through my panting mouth. I can tell Yoite wants to keep running, but he stops so fast I nearly become a whip in his hand.

We stop under a heavy pine tree to keep out of the rain and fall against the trunk. We're both gasping for air and I start to think about how much I want water. I think about how glad I am that I drank so much at the prison or else I may not have made it this far. I distantly wonder if Yoite did the same.

I look over at him and see that the rain has cleaned some of the blood off of his face. His wound has stopped bleeding, but he's very pale. How he's made it this far I don't even know.

"Are you okay?" I ask. He closes his mouth to swallow and nods his head.

"I'll be okay... I just need to catch my breath." He mumbles. He tugs on the collar of his shirt as if it's constricting his breathing.

I reach forward and take his hand. I look at him and see that he's questioning me with his eyes, but I don't answer. I lean forward instead and brush my lips against his. I relish in the moment as I feel a shiver go down my spine from it. Or maybe that was just the cold.

Yoite's hand gently touches my face and I open my eyes to look at him. His blue eyes are shining brightly, but I still don't like how pale he looks.

"What was that for?" He asks. I shake my head a little and press my lips against his again to keep him quiet. His hand goes behind my head and tangles itself in my clean hair. He tilts his head a little to the side and I assume he's okay with this.

I rest my hand against his shoulder so I can press against him a little. I sigh and tighten my hand a little. Just a little.

If we're about to die, I want this. No. Want isn't strong enough to use for Yoite anymore. I don't want this. I _need_ this. He's all I have left now.

I don't know what will happen to Thobari or Yukimi. Will someone find out it was them? Will they be executed if they're found out? Surly if they are they will be murdered.

I also wonder about Hana. I know all she did was cut my hair, but I worry about her too.

I kiss Yoite harder on the lips and edge my right leg between his. He shivers a little and I trail my lips away from his lips to his cheek. My lips follow the strong line of his jaw to his ear and then slowly edge downwards. As I do this, I notice something on his neck I didn't notice before. I don't know how I didn't notice it sooner.

He has a scar on his neck, a long, deep scar. A burn mark maybe? No, it's too organized...

A knife.

_'They hated his meaningless existence and tried to be rid of him themselves... Even his own brother hated him.'_

I feel Yoite tense as soon my lips unconsciously brush against the scar.

"I don't care..." I murmur. Yoite tightens his grip on me and I pull back to look at him. His eyes are red like he's about to cry. I shake my head and kiss his eyes which close on reflex. "I don't..." I whisper against them.

It's true. I really, _really_ don't care. I don't care who or what Yoite was in the past. I don't care what happened to him before. What I care about now is who he is and what happens to him next, and what I want to happen next is to find a safe place for the both of us.

I sit back and rub my fingers against his cheeks pink. His eyes slowly open and his blue eyes look dazed. They aren't as red and I smile.

"I might have a place we can go to..." Yoite mumbles, a little distracted it seems. My eyes light up at the thought. He must have read my mind. "It's far on foot, but I'm the only one who knows about it... It's an old abandoned rail car but... It's better than nothing..." He says.

I smile at the thought. A far away and safe place. To me it sounds like heaven. All I want is to get away from the walls of this city. I can't wait to get as far away as humanly possible.

"Is that alright?" He asks.

"It's perfect." I say with a light and happy tone. It truly is.

Yoite smiles and nods his head. He pushes himself to his knees but then staggers. I prop him up on my shoulder and look at him. It's like he's getting worse. I only hope we can get there so I can take care of his wounds.

Yoite stands up by himself quickly. I can tell he doesn't want my help, but I won't let him get off that easily.

He looks down at me and reaches a hand for me to grab onto. I take his hand and pull. I'm surprised that he pulls me to my feet. I thought he'd fall over and I'd help him up, yet he's the one helping me up. I stand on my feet and look up as he smiles. I smile back and he begins to walk forward.

I follow, but something stops me. There's a tug on my leg. I pull again, but my leg won't move.

I look at my leg. Somehow, attached to the end of my leg at my ankle is a long vine of dry (yet wet from the rain) grass. I tug, but it's around my leg tightly and not loosening. This is not a thing Mother Nature could have done on its own with such a short amount of time.

I yank my leg and the weak grass gives way. I stagger with the lack of balance but quickly regain my composure. I look at my leg to see that not all of it has let go. There is still some clinging to the straps of my shoes and the ends of my pants.

What was causing this? Why was Mother Nature acting so weird suddenly?

Then I think back: the loud pop, the bright light, the moments slipped away by the unconscious daze, why Kotaro's body was more mangled than Thobari had left it.

It all made sense.

At some point...

I became the Shinrabansou.

_"Oh my, Miharu. Look how much you've grown."_

And_ she_ hasn't changed a bit.

* * *

**End of Arc One**

* * *

**A/N: *looking for bricks* Well, now that that's done lets go over things. FIRST! The next arc will be called "Potent." So keep your eyes out for that. If I get fifty reviews up by tomorrow I'll upload the prologue for Potent before Monday. ^^ Next! Someone asked (and I didn't say anything because I totally forgot) if I would be making Yoite a hermaphrodite in this. The answer is yes. I'm keeping to most of the story line (minus the obvious things, but you get what I mean XD). It's not mentioned here, but all answers will be... "answered" in the next arc. *hint hint, nudge nudge* If ya know what I mean...**

**I hope you do because I don't. XD**

**Alright everyone, I want to say thank you. A true and grateful thank you. Writing this story improved many aspects of writing for me and matured my writing in whole levels and volumes that I can't even describe. The fact you guys enjoyed it so much is just the cherry on the top to me... Too bad I don't like cherry's. XD How about magic chocolate? :D So I am giving you my biggest thanks. THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart I am thankful. Not only are you guys so loyal but I feel that I've made friends through this adventure too. Thank you all. I love you guys very much. ^_^ Please continue to support me by reading and reviewing my other fanfics, plus keeping an eye out of Potent, because I will be working as hard on that one as I have with this one.**

**Thank you again and again! I hope your labor day weekend goes great! I hope for those who have started school that it's going well. You guys go in there and show the world what incredible people you are! :D I hope to hear from all of you again here and on anything else I write.**

**One more time, thank you from the bottom of my heart!**

**よろしく おねがい します！ さよなら の ともだち！あなた たち わ すき ですか！＾＿＾**

**-Misty**


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